Isack Hadjar Penalized for Impeding Sainz at Canadian Grand Prix

Montreal, Canada — Isack Hadjar received a three-place grid penalty for blocking Carlos Sainz during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday.

Sainz expressed frustration after the incident, saying, “My entire weekend was destroyed”. He qualified in P17 when he expected to be contending for a top-eight position. “If in Q1 you arrive and there’s a guy in the middle of the road that completely blows your qualifying away, that means your weekend is destroyed,” Sainz stated.

Hadjar initially qualified ninth but fell to twelfth after the penalty. Stewards ruled that Hadjar, driving Car 6, impeded Sainz, in Car 55, at the entry to Turn 6. The stewards noted that despite Hadjar attempting to yield, it was too late.

Hadjar maintained that he was misinformed, claiming he believed Sainz had abandoned his lap. “I never impede anyone, not even in practice. I got told Carlos had aborted his lap, and so it was a complete miscommunication,” he explained.

In a separate incident, Yuki Tsunoda also faced scrutiny for overtaking Oscar Piastri under a red flag during practice, highlighting ongoing issues within the teams leading into the race weekend.