Why Red Bull isn’t worried about Isack Hadjar’s Miami GP disaster

TL;DR

Red Bull's team principal Laurent Mekies is not worried about Isack Hadjar's poor performance at the Miami GP, attributing it to mistakes from both the driver and the team. Hadjar struggled to keep up with teammate Max Verstappen, finishing ninth in the sprint race and facing disqualification in qualifying.

Key points

Isack Hadjar had a tough Miami GP weekend.
He finished ninth in the sprint race.
Hadjar was disqualified from qualifying for illegal car floorboards.
Red Bull's team principal is not worried about his performance.
Mistakes from both the driver and team contributed to the issues.

Red BullIsack HadjarMax Verstappen

Motorsport photo

Red Bull Formula 1 team principal Laurent Mekies isn’t concerned about Isack Hadjar’s tough Miami Grand Prix, as he felt mistakes on both sides contributed to his nightmare weekend.

Having struggled to match Max Verstappen’s pace in the upgraded Red Bull F1 car, Hadjar qualifying and finishing in ninth place in the Miami sprint while the Dutch driver qualified and finished in fifth, the French driver's weekend nosedived after he was thrown out of grand prix qualifying for illegal car floorboards.

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Red Bull confessed it was a team mistake and apologised to its driver, who was forced into a pitlane start. Hadjar made impressive gains early on, rising to 15th on lap five, when he blamed a lack of focus for hitting the inside wall at Turn 14, which broke his front-left suspension and put him in the wall at Turn 15.

Given Red Bull’s second-seat problem stretching back to 2019 after Daniel Ricciardo left, team boss Mekies isn’t concerned about Hadjar’s Miami showing and expects it to be a blip, as he had been much closer to Verstappen’s level over the opening three rounds.

“I don't think we should qualify that as a worry,” Mekies said about Hadjar’s crash. “We had a tough weekend. This has not helped our performance. In terms of driving and in terms of rhythm, he still didn't get into the right rhythm.

Q&A

What happened to Isack Hadjar at the Miami Grand Prix?

Isack Hadjar faced a tough weekend at the Miami GP, finishing ninth in the sprint race and being disqualified from qualifying due to illegal car floorboards.

Why is Red Bull not concerned about Hadjar's performance?

Red Bull's team principal Laurent Mekies believes that mistakes from both Hadjar and the team contributed to his poor performance, which alleviates their concern.

How did Isack Hadjar's performance compare to Max Verstappen's?

Hadjar struggled to match Max Verstappen's pace, qualifying and finishing ninth in the sprint race, while Verstappen qualified and finished fifth.

What were the consequences of Hadjar's disqualification in qualifying?

Hadjar's disqualification from qualifying meant he had to start the race from a disadvantageous position, impacting his overall performance in the Miami GP.