(Motorsport-Total.com) – With 5th place, Isack Hadjar celebrated his best result so far in the Red Bull at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix. But Sunday in Montreal could have ended much worse for the Frenchman.
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After the pit stops, he got involved in an unfortunate defensive action with Charles Leclerc at the end of the long back straight. The Monegasque had to swerve at the last moment to avoid a serious crash. Although Leclerc passed the 21-year-old shortly afterwards anyway, the race stewards handed Hadjar a ten-second penalty for this dangerous maneuver.
This ultimately did not change his 5th place. Nevertheless, the Red Bull driver was extremely self-critical after crossing the finish line. “I was too hard, and it wasn’t even intentional,” explained Hadjar. “I was just confused about which direction he wanted to go. It was of course never my intention to send him into the grass. He is an extremely fair driver, so I immediately apologized to him. Honestly, it was a bit stupid of me.”
Leclerc: “A miracle that I finished fourth”
Leclerc revealed after the race that his heart had briefly dropped in his chest in that situation. However, the Ferrari driver was not resentful after his 4th place – he accepted Hadjar’s immediate apology calmly. (To the race report)
“I think the penalty is absolutely deserved,” said Leclerc on Canal+. “That was a bit too tight. Isack apologized, but these things happen. With these cars, it’s incredibly hard to judge. The speed differences are so enormous, and you see frighteningly little in the mirrors.”
Leclerc added conciliatorily: “I think when he saw me coming, he realized he had overstepped. But as I said, it happens – to me in the past as well, by the way.” For the Monegasque, only survival after a frustrating weekend counted anyway. “I’m just glad to have finished the race. Honestly: It’s almost a miracle to finish 4th on such a terrible weekend,” Leclerc reported.
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“At no point did I have a feel for the car. Lewis [Hamilton] was outstanding all weekend, but I just struggled. It was extremely difficult for me to get the tires up to temperature at all.”
Hadjar’s puzzlement over the lost pace
For Hadjar, it was not just the one penalty: he also received a stop-and-go penalty for not lifting sufficiently under yellow flags. Curiously, that did not affect his final position either. He accepted the stewards’ decisions without complaint. What bothered him much more was his own performance in the race.
“I really don’t understand where our pace went. I massively struggled out there,” Hadjar appeared puzzled. “Yesterday the car still felt fantastic, today it was incredibly hard to drive. To be honest, I felt like I was back in the first free practice.” After good first laps, the thread suddenly broke: “The gap opened and I just couldn’t keep up the pace anymore – yesterday I was still comfortably there. I have no idea why.”
The missing pace was not even due to degrading tires, as the Red Bull driver revealed in conclusion: “We had zero wear today. It was very consistent and easy to keep the lap times. But even when the tires were in the working window, I just lacked speed.”
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