Isack Hadjar had a disappointing run at the 2026 Chinese GP sprint, finishing 15th after a collision with Kimi Antonelli.
What happened?
The incident occurred when Antonelli understeered into Hadjar's Red Bull, causing significant damage to the car's bodywork.
Hadjar was on soft tires, having started in 10th position, while Antonelli began in 2nd.
Why it matters for Isack Hadjar
The collision led to a 10-second penalty for Antonelli, but Hadjar's progress was severely impacted, with the floor of his car damaged.
After the race, Antonelli approached Hadjar to apologize, but the French-Algerian driver brushed him off.
What comes next?
Hadjar's pointless run continues, having also retired from the season opener in Australia due to a power unit issue.
Max Verstappen also had a poor sprint race, finishing 9th, with balance and drivability issues plaguing the RB22.
The incident has left Hadjar frustrated, and he expressed his disappointment to the media, stating that the team had started him on soft tires to collect data for the main race.
But the damaged floor rendered the data inaccurate, and Hadjar was unable to make any meaningful overtakes despite having fresher tires.
And with the main race on Sunday, Hadjar will be looking to bounce back from this disappointing result.
So, the focus will be on Hadjar's ability to recover from this setback and compete at the highest level.
But for now, the collision with Antonelli remains a sore point for Hadjar, who feels that the Italian driver was overexcited and made a desperate move.
Hadjar's comments to the media highlighted his frustration, saying 'We wanted to understand how the soft was going to perform, and with a completely destroyed floor, we can’t work.'