Hadjar is first Formula 2 driver to be penalised for causing a red flag in qualifying · RaceFans

Red Bull junior team member Isack Hadjar has become the first Formula 2 driver to be penalised under new rules punishing drivers for causing red flags in qualifying.

The Campos driver was penalised following a strange incident involving his team mate in today’s qualifying session at Baku City Circuit.

Hadjar locked his brakes up at the first corner and skidded into the run-off area, hitting the barrier nose first. Seconds later his team mate Pepe Marti did the same and had an identical crash, coming to a stop a few metres to Hadjar’s left.

It transpired the two team mates had both overheated their brakes. The session was red-flagged so the cars could be recovered and the run-off area cleared.

Formula 2 introduced new rules earlier this year giving the stewards the power to delete a driver’s fastest lap time if they are deemed to have caused a red flag. The stewards ruled “car 20 [Hadjar] was the sole cause of the red flag” and therefore ruled he should be punished, though they do not believe his crash was intentional.

“Article 33.5 is new for 2024 and was designed to recognise that a driver who causes a red flag can have an effect on all or some other drivers who are at the time attempting a qualifying lap,” the stewards noted. “The rule provides discretion to the stewards to determine if the deletion of the offending driver’s fastest time is warranted.

“In this case the stewards concluded that the failure of the driver to negotiate turn one because the rear brakes had overheated was within the driver and team’s control and as such a penalty was warranted.

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“It is important to note that no malintent [sic] is implied on the driver’s part by this penalty but rather the intent of the penalty is to recognise the potential harm that other drivers suffered as a result of the red flag solely caused by the driver of car 20.”

Hadjar, who arrived at this weekend’s round leading the championship, originally qualified 15th before his fastest time was deleted, and will now start 20th.

The same rule was also introduced in F3 this year and first used at the Hungaroring when Luke Browning crashed.