Isack Hadjar bemoans 'terrible sound' that sparked Red Bull debut misery

Isack Hadjar has revealed that he knew he would retire from the Australian Grand Prix with a power unit issue, given the "terrible sound" from his engine early in the race.

After starting from third on the grid at Melbourne's Albert Park on his Red Bull debut, Hadjar had dropped to fifth due to a lack of battery early on the opening lap, when he was forced to retire after 10 laps with smoke billowing from the back of the RB22.

"The start was amazing," said the Frenchman, speaking to the media, including RacingNews365. "I mean, I started the race with no battery. I had a very good launch and was taking the lead easily.

"So at least that's a good point of the day. We had a very good start. Once I thought, 'Oh, I'm going to take the lead', but then no more power. So that was great!

"You can imagine, for like, a couple of laps, I was spending time recovering [with the battery], but the engine sounded terrible, so I knew I was not going to finish the race.

"It was just a shame. I think we would have been in the mix with Lewis [Hamilton]."

That was with reference to the fact that the seven-time F1 champion finished fourth in his Ferrari just behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

(Article continues below)

Hadjar makes Red Bull demand

Hadjar has insisted that his lack of battery at the start "was not a technical issue", and instead was an aspect of managing the car in the new regulatory era where he and the team have to improve.

"We just need to do better to avoid this from happening," he said. "We didn't manage to simulate it in the whole six days of testing [in Bahrain], and in free practice as well.

"It's just new scenarios. A race scenario is different. It's a good experience, at least."

One of the few highlights of his short time on track was in battling Arvid Lindblad, the F1 rookie who was promoted to fill the seat occupied by Hadjar at Racing Bulls last season.

The British driver enjoyed a superb start from ninth on the grid, quickly going wheel to wheel with Hadjar.

There were extenuating circumstances, however, with Hadjar adding: "It's hard to find someone who's going 30kph faster than you on the straight. That was my only highlight of the day.

"Generally, I felt great out there. Zero mistakes the whole weekend. I felt very comfortable. It's a shame. I wish I could still have been on track, fighting for third. That would have been fun."