Isack Hadjar Disqualified from Miami Grand Prix Qualifying
Isack Hadjar has been officially disqualified from qualifying for this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix after his Red Bull RB22 failed to meet the technical regulations set by Formula 1. The 21-year-old driver’s car was found to be in breach of Article C3.5.5 of the F1 regulations, which outlines the permitted dimensions for the floorboards on both the left-hand side (LHS) and right-hand side (RHS) of the vehicle.
This disqualification came as no surprise, as it was soon revealed during scrutineering that Hadjar’s car had been deemed illegal. As a result, the decision to exclude him from the qualifying session was expected.
Hadjar will now start Sunday’s race from the pitlane, having initially qualified ninth. This position will now be taken by Pierre Gasly, with Nico Hulkenberg joining him on the fifth row for Alpine.
An FIA statement confirmed: “The stewards heard from the team representatives of Car 6 (Isack Hadjar). They did not dispute the findings of the technical delegate that portions of the LHS and RHS floor boards were protruding 2mm out of the reference volume RV-FLOOR BOARD. This is a breach of Article C3.5.5 of the FIA F1 Regulations and the usual consequences follow an admitted breach of the technical regulations.”
The statement also reminded competitors of their right to appeal certain decisions made by the stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 5 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits. It emphasized that decisions made by the stewards are independent of the FIA and based solely on the relevant regulations, guidelines, and evidence presented.
This outcome marks another challenging moment for Hadjar during the weekend. He also failed to score points in Saturday’s sprint race after qualifying ninth for the shortened contest.
Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies expressed regret over the incident, stating: “We made a mistake and we respect the decision of the stewards. No performance advantage was intended nor gained from the error. We will learn from this incident and assess our processes to understand how it occurred and to take steps to ensure it cannot happen again. As a team, we apologise to Isack and to our fans and partners. We learn the hard way today, but we will move forward.”
Despite this setback, the Austrian outfit still holds high hopes for a strong performance in Miami, with Max Verstappen set to join polesitter Kimi Antonelli on the front row aboard a heavily upgraded RB22. Verstappen, a four-time world champion, is expected to play a key role in the team’s strategy for the upcoming race.
