The Stewards have handed Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar a three-place grid penalty for impeding Williams driver Carlos Sainz during Qualifying for the 2025 F1 Canadian GP. The incident occurred during Q1 at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, where Sainz found himself compromised by Hadjar while on a flying lap.
Hadjar penalised after impeding Sainz in Q3
Sainz, who was attempting to secure a place in Q2, caught Hadjar under braking into the Turn 6/7 chicane. At the time, Hadjar was on a cooldown lap and did not move clear in time, which forced Sainz to alter his racing line. After finishing P17, Sainz found himself out in Q1. Immediately following the moment, Sainz expressed clear frustration over team radio, calling the incident “massive impeding.”
Nevertheless, Hadjar advanced to Q2 and eventually qualified in ninth position, continuing his run of strong one-lap performances. However, the Stewards eventually deemed Hadjar responsible for impeding after a post-session investigation.
The Stewards’ decision noted, “Car 6 [Hadjar] was on an in-lap and was caught by Car 55 [Sainz], on a push lap, at the entry to Turn 6. Although Car 6 attempted to move off the racing line to leave space for Car 55, the move was too late.”
Poor communication from Racing Bulls a key factor in incident
Furthermore, the Stewards highlighted that Hadjar had received incorrect information from his race engineer. Hadjar explained that his team had first informed him that Sainz was on a push lap, but subsequently told him that Sainz had aborted the attempt.
Relying on this information, Hadjar delayed moving aside. By the time he realised the information was inaccurate, it was too late to avoid hindering the Williams driver.
“The driver of Car 6 agreed that Car 55 was impeded,” the Stewards continued. “He explained that although he saw Car 55 in his mirrors, he relied upon what he had been told by his team. When he realised the information was wrong, he did his best to move out of the way.”
According to the Penalty Guidelines, the standard penalty for impeding during Qualifying is a three-place grid drop, irrespective of whether the fault lies with the driver or the team.
In the media pen following the 2025 F1 Canadian GP Qualifying session, Hadjar addressed the incident and apologised to Sainz. “It is very simple,” he stated. “I was told he had aborted the lap. I was on a fast in-lap as well, so I did not move out of the way. It is something we are all used to doing, but somehow he was still on a push lap. It is a misunderstanding, but honestly there was nothing I could have done. I am sorry for him.”
VCARB02 was “tough to drive” during Saturday’s Qualifying
Despite the penalty, Hadjar reflected on his overall Qualifying performance, offering a measured response to his top-ten result.
“Honestly, not so much,” he said when asked if his efforts in Qualifying had satisfied him. “It felt tough to drive out there. The balance for me was not very together. So it was kind of a guess every time I approached a corner, and confidence was pretty low. However, I still managed to do a solid job to sit like this. On our worst days we are P9, so I think that is a good thing. Nevertheless, I did not feel comfortable.”
As a result of the penalty, Hadjar will now start twelfth rather than ninth on the grid for Sunday’s Canadian GP. He is not the only driver facing a sanction, as Stewards also handed Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda a ten-place grid drop for a red flag infringement during final practice.
With penalties shaking up the starting order and the threat of changeable weather in Montreal, Hadjar remains in a strong position to challenge for points, provided he can maintain the pace he demonstrated throughout the weekend.