MIAMI, May 6, 2026, 07:15 EDT
Red Bull shrugged off concerns over Isack Hadjar following his turbulent Miami Grand Prix, where a qualifying DQ and then an early crash wrecked his weekend. Team principal Laurent Mekies called the sequence a one-off mess, not a sign of deeper trouble for the driver.
Awkward timing for Red Bull. The team rolled out big upgrades in Miami and finally got a clearer read on the RB22—its car for 2026. Mekies called the progress “definite.” Max Verstappen? He put it on the front row in qualifying, but a first-lap spin saw him end up fifth. Formula 1® – The Official F1® Website
It’s significant, with Red Bull pushing to get back into the mix at the front, where Mercedes has taken the lead and McLaren keeps the heat on. In Miami, Kimi Antonelli took the win for Mercedes. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri rounded out the podium, Verstappen ended up fifth, and Hadjar didn’t finish.
Hadjar’s weekend hit trouble even before lights out. Ninth in qualifying, he was disqualified after stewards found the left and right floorboards on his Red Bull sticking out 2 millimetres past the allowed reference volume. Parc ferme rules locked the car, and as a result of subsequent changes, he had to start from the pit lane.
Red Bull took the penalty without protest. Mekies admitted the team “made a mistake” and insisted they hadn’t been after any performance advantage. The FIA’s ruling pushed Hadjar to the back of the grid, shaking up the lower spots in the top 10. Reuters
The race offered him little more than a fleeting shot at salvaging the weekend. Starting from the pit lane, Hadjar picked up positions early, but that momentum vanished when he clipped the kerb, snapped his front suspension, and ended up in the wall on Lap 6. The crash triggered a Safety Car, slowing the field after the incident.
“This one really hurts,” Hadjar admitted after retiring, pointing out he’d had “such good pace” before the incident cost him a shot at points. He didn’t mince words later, labeling it a “very silly mistake”—a harsh self-critique from the 21-year-old still finding his feet alongside Verstappen. Formula 1® – The Official F1® Website
Mekies didn’t mince words backing Hadjar. Red Bull, he said, “didn’t help him” by forcing a start from the back after a legality mistake on their side. Mekies also pointed out there was “every indication” Hadjar would find the right speed in Montreal again. Motorsport
Mekies flagged a performance issue as well. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he explained that Hadjar struggled with a straight-line speed deficit through most of the weekend—leaving the car lagging on the straights—and admitted the team hadn’t nailed everything on its end.
The Verstappen camp made it tougher to brush aside the narrative. Following qualifying, Verstappen talked about seeing “light at the end of the tunnel” and said the car felt more responsive after Red Bull’s upgrades—a hint that things might finally be heading toward the nimble setup he likes. Sky Sports
Red Bull faces a bigger concern: Miami might not just be a blip for Hadjar, but the start of a growing rift as the car increasingly suits Verstappen. According to Sky’s upgrade analysis, all four—Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull—left Miami facing new development puzzles. McLaren’s Andrea Stella pointed out that success depends as much on how teams adapt and execute as on the upgrades themselves.
Jenson Button, who won a world title and now works as a Sky Sports pundit, is backing Hadjar to bounce back, describing it as “one race.” He also pointed to Hadjar’s recovery after crashing out early in Australia last year. The upcoming Canada event, set for May 22-24, will test Red Bull’s narrative: rough weekend, simple solution, nothing to worry about. Sky Sports
