Isack Hadjar crashes out of British GP: Double DNF for Racing Bulls

Isack Hadjar became the fourth driver to retire from the chaotic British Grand Prix after crashing into the rear of Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. 

The Racing Bulls driver explained over team radio that he wasn’t able to see the Italian due to the intensely wet weather conditions. After crashing into the rear of the Mercedes at Turn 9, Hadjar was sent flying into the gravel and eventually collided with the barrier, resulting in a yellow flag.

Luckily for the Mercedes driver, Antonelli was able to continue with the race, albeit with a damaged diffuser.

In the dramatic Grand Prix at Silverstone, Hadjar joined three of his fellow rookie drivers as he returned to the garages. Others to have retired from the race at the time of writing were Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, Hadjar’s team-mate Liam Lawson, and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto.

The Silverstone race saw typical British summer weather with intense rain hitting the tarmac, resulting in a range of strategies from teams. Hadjar was quizzed on whether warmer weather would be better for him following qualifying on Saturday.

“Honestly, I don’t really care because we’re quite far from where we want to be, so if it’s chaos we take it,” he said at the time.

Commenting on the “tricky” qualifying session which saw him finish 13th fastest, Hadjar explained, “It was very tricky, I mean, it’s very random, you know, it can happen anytime and there’s laps where I could brake.

“I feel like I’m braking early, but the wind is pushing me and then I’m losing the car on entry, so this has an effect for sure, but to be fair I felt like I got lucky during the session. It was very consistent, the car balance, so it’s hard to understand.”