Hadjar jokes about moving on from Barcelona crash after social media dive
Red Bull's Isack Hadjar humorously explained he moved past his Barcelona testing crash by reading social media reactions and joking his season was doomed. The rookie faced further disruption with limited running in Bahrain after the incident required significant car repairs.
Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar revealed he processed his dramatic Barcelona shakedown crash by diving into social media comments and joking about his season being over before it started. The French driver faced further setbacks with limited running during pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Why it matters:
A driver's mental recovery from a major incident is as critical as the physical repairs to the car. Hadjar's lighthearted approach highlights the intense public scrutiny young drivers face and the pressure to immediately bounce back from mistakes, especially within the high-stakes Red Bull program.
The details:
- Hadjar described his post-crash process: immediately thinking of Pierre Gasly's past Red Bull challenges, then reading reactions online where he concluded he was "screwed for the whole season."
- The Barcelona crash on January 27 caused significant damage, forcing Red Bull to delay its final run at the Circuit de Catalunya to complete repairs.
- In Bahrain, Hadjar's testing was hampered again, losing roughly half of the morning session on day two due to car changes, completing only 87 laps.
What's next:
Hadjar is scheduled to return to the RB22 for the afternoon session on the final day of Bahrain testing. The focus will be on maximizing track time to recover the data lost from the earlier issues and building his confidence ahead of his debut season.