{
  "id": 16126164,
  "title": "Hadjar riles Leclerc by saying Verstappen would be faster in a Ferrari",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/hadjar-riles-leclerc-by-saying-verstappen-would-be-faster-in-a-ferrari",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-23T00:07:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/motor-sports/2026/10/1561720/hadjar-riles-leclerc-saying-verstappen-would-be-faster-ferrari"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Isaac Hadjar sparked controversy by claiming that Ferrari possessed the fastest car and that Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen would have won the Singapore Grand Prix with an even larger margin if he had driven for the Italian team. Charles Leclerc, who placed second in the race, firmly dismissed Hadjar's assertions during a press conference at the US Grand Prix in Austin. \"It's nonsense to start saying these kinds of things. He has no idea what kind of car we drive, and I have no idea what kind of car he drives,\" Leclerc told reporters. Hadjar, who finished tenth in Singapore, maintained that the Red Bull car was still extremely challenging to drive, even despite Verstappen's recent victories. In Malaysia, he believed the Red Bull was dominant, but he didn't think it was the fastest car in Singapore. \"I believe if you put Max in the Ferrari, he would have won the race with a larger margin,\" Hadjar stated. Both Leclerc and McLaren's Oscar Piastri acknowledged Ferrari's strong performance in Singapore, attributing the team's superiority to their consistent pace throughout the year. However, Piastri noted that Ferrari struggled on the straights, and Red Bull appeared to be the most consistently quick car over the past few weeks. \"Both are stronger than us for sure,\" Piastri said.",
  "summary": "AUSTIN: Isack Hadjar riled rival Charles Leclerc by suggesting Ferrari had the fastest car and Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen would have won this month’s Singapore Grand Prix by an even greater margin if he had been driving for the Italian team.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Motorsport.com",
        "title": "Why Isack Hadjar doesn’t like F1 sprints anymore",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/why-isack-hadjar-doesnt-like-f1-sprints-anymore",
        "published": "2026-10-20T16:40:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}