Hadjar falls to fifth after battery issue in Malaysia

Isack Hadjar finished fifth in the Malaysian Grand Prix after losing third place to Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc following the final safety-car restart. The Red Bull driver said a drop in battery deployment left him unable to defend on the straights, while he also reported struggling for grip. The cause of the performance loss has not been established. Hadjar started eighth at Sepang after a grid penalty, having qualified third. He made progress during the race and was running fourth before the final safety-car period. When George Russell stopped with a power-unit problem, Hadjar moved up to third. After the restart, Hamilton passed him, with Leclerc following a lap later. Hadjar crossed the finish line in fifth. He said he had been caught off guard by the change in pace, noting that Hamilton had been about 15 seconds behind before closing rapidly. Hadjar attributed his inability to hold position to low battery deployment in the opening laps after the restart. The driver said the battery issue then stabilised and that his speed improved, but he believed the loss of grip had also affected him.