A major setback for Isack Hadjar: disqualification and a start from the back of the grid in Miami

The weekend had started off well for Isack Hadjar, however. Having qualified ninth, the Frenchman seemed to be confirming Red Bull's progress in Miami. But Saturday evening completely changed the game.

After inspecting his car, the stewards detected a technical non-compliance on the floor: a section on each side exceeded the permitted volume by 2 mm. A minimal deviation, but enough to result in a heavy penalty.

The result: Hadjar was excluded from qualifying and will start from the back of the grid this Sunday.

A difficult decision to swallow for both the driver and the team, especially since the car's performance was clearly on point following the introduction of a much-anticipated upgrade package. Red Bull, however, immediately accepted the penalty without contesting it.

Team principal Laurent Mekies spoke out to take full responsibility for the error:

“We made a mistake and we respect the stewards' decision. No performance advantage was sought or gained from this error.”

Aware of the impact of this mistake, the Frenchman has received the support of his team, which promises to learn from this incident: “We will learn from this incident and analyze our processes to understand how this could have happened and ensure it doesn't happen again.”

The message is clear: this was a hiccup, but a costly one in such a tight field.

Red Bull also issued an apology, addressed directly to its driver:

“As a team, we apologize to Isack, as well as to our fans and partners. We're learning the hard way today, but we'll move forward.”

Despite this setback, the goal for the race remains unchanged: to capitalize on the potential we've seen since the start of the weekend.

“Our goal now is to turn yesterday's encouraging signs into a strong performance in the race this afternoon.”

Hadjar will therefore start last, but not without hope. In a race that promises to be unpredictable, especially with threatening weather, opportunities could arise. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to seize them.