Isack Hadjar makes 'me issue' declaration after heavy Austin crash

Isack Hadjar has taken responsibility for the crash that ruined his qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas.

The Racing Bulls driver will start the United States Grand Prix from P20 and last after hitting the wall at Turn 6 only a few minutes into Q1.

The incident brought out the red flag, with replays showing the Frenchman taking considerable speed through the quick esses section in the first sector.

Speaking to media, including RacingNews365, after climbing from his stricken VCARB 02, Hadjar said: "Honestly, I think I just got it wrong the way I approached the section.

"Took it too easy [in] the first half [of he section] and arrived with too much speed [in] the second half.

"And honestly, the way it snapped, I was already in the wall, so nothing I could have done."

The one-time podium finisher confirmed his crash was not due to a problem with his car, but rather that it was a "me issue", having made an error.

He did highlight that he was finding the Racing Bulls machine difficult to handle before ultimately making the mistake.

"Throughout the lap, I was definitely struggling with the ride, but when I lost it, it was a 'me' issue, rather than anything else," explained.

It capped off a disappointing day for Hadjar, who finished the sprint at COTA in P12, four places outside the points-paying positions.

The USA-Mexico double-header is a critical time for him, with Red Bull expected to make a decision on its driver line-up for 2026 following the next weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix.

Hadjar is already assured of a race seat next season, but is hoping to be promoted to partner Max Verstappen at the Milton Keynes-based squad for his second campaign in F1.

Reflecting on an underwhelming weekend in Austin so far, he added: "There's still [the grand prix] to go and try to make something special out of it, but definitely, I need to do a better job next week."