FIA confirms Isack Hadjar punishment after Austrian Grand Prix breach
Isack Hadjar has had a couple of run ins with the FIA over the course of his short F1 career
Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar has been handed a warning by the FIA stewards following an investigation after Austrian Grand Prix qualifying.
Hadjar qualified eighth in a dramatic qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring, where Mercedes driver George Russell claimed pole position.
Isack Hadjar given warning by FIA after Austrian GP investigation
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Russell posted his lap after Hadjar’s Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen crashed at Turn 9, the penultimate corner of the lap, in Q3.
The FIA stewards noted Russell for a potential yellow flag infringement before determining that the Mercedes driver had slowed sufficiently as he approached the scene of the accident, allowing him to retain pole.
Hadjar found himself under investigation after being deemed to have been driving unnecessarily slowly in Q1.
The FIA has confirmed that Hadjar has been handed with a warning.
The stewards’ report read: “The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 6 (Isack Hadjar), team representative and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, timing, and in-car video evidence.
“The Stewards determine that the driver completed the relevant lap without overtaking or being overtaken by any other cars and therefore drove unnecessarily slowly.”
Max Verstappen vs Isack Hadjar: Red Bull head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season
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Hadjar has endured a challenging weekend at Red Bull’s home race, with the 21-year-old complaining about the brakes of the RB22 car.
His problems have been most noticeable at Turn 3, the right-hand hairpin at the end of the circuit’s longest straight and the hardest braking point on the lap.
Speaking after the session, Hadjar revealed that he has been unable to brake as hard and as late as he normally likes this weekend.
He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “Just can’t smash the brakes really.
“I’m a late breaker, heavy breaker and this weekend I’ve not been able to use any of that, so then it compromised the whole rest of the corner – you can’t brake, you can’t do anything.”
Asked if his woes at Turn 3 are unusual, he pointed to the lack of downforce of the F1 2026 cars and examples of other cars struggling to stop at the same corner over the course of the weekend.
McLaren driver Lando Norris suffered a dramatic spin at the corner during Friday’s FP2 session.
Hadjar replied: “No, it’s not unusual.
“It’s the nature of the track and with these cars, with a lot less downforce compared to last year, these things happen.
“We are not the only team struggling. I think you saw [Norris] spinning in this corner yesterday, so it just shows how hard it is to get it pinned in the rear.”
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