Purple Bull star Isack Hadjar was in no temper to just accept Mercedes rival Kimi Antonelli’s apology.
The second Isack Hadjar furiously waved away Kimi Antonelli’s tried apology (Picture: F1 TV)
Isack Hadjar was in no temper to listen to Kimi Antonelli’s apology as he furiously waved away the Italian’s hand moments after the conclusion of the Shanghai Dash race. Hadjar had finised method down in fifteenth and a great distance off the factors after struggling injury on the first nook of the opening lap.
That was brought on by Antonelli who was late on the brakes and locked up his entrance wheels when he needed to squeeze them a bit tougher to get his automobile stopped. And the lack of grip meant he careered into the facet of Hadjar’s Purple Bull, knocking it off monitor and inflicting shards of particles to fly off it.
Hadjar was left missing tempo for the remainder of the 19-lap contest and was by no means a menace for factors, ending 5 locations down from his beginning place of tenth. Antonelli was given a 10-second time penalty which value him second place as, after serving that punishment at a late pit cease throughout a security automobile interval, he managed to complete solely fifth within the Mercedes.
However that punishment, and the time between the collision and the tip of the Dash, weren’t sufficient for Hadjar to have calmed down sufficient. Footage from the digital camera mounted on board his Purple Bull confirmed Antonelli strategy him whereas in parc ferme and Hadjar, nonetheless seated within the cockpit of his automobile, wave away the hand of apology supplied to him by his fellow F1 sophomore.
Talking in TV interviews after the Dash, Hadjar revealed a part of his frustration stemmed from the actual fact the injury on his automobile restricted the quantity of helpful information Purple Bull have been in a position to collect from the Dash, on the subject of analysing the efficiency of the RB22 whereas on the tender tyre across the Shanghai Worldwide Circuit.
The Frenchman mentioned: “We wished to grasp how the tender was going to carry out, and with a totally destroyed ground, we won’t work. I do not perceive why he is overexcited like that when he is received a rocketship and can get better regardless… Anyway, it occurs.”
Kimi and Isack in parc ferme after contact within the Dash ??????#F1Sprint #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/fTtyXC50Q6
— System 1 (@F1) March 14, 2026
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Mercedes workforce principal Toto Wolff accepted that Antonelli was at fault, although he didn’t agree with the severity of the punishment he was given. The Austrian mentioned: “Clearly his fault, [but] I believe 10 seconds is a bit harsh, comparatively harsh. However on the finish of the day it additionally value Hadjar his place, and even his race. The stewards are in a tough place on the subject of judging one thing like that, in my view.”
Wolff’s sympathy for Hadjar was lessened, although, by that refusal of Antonelli’s apology, having clearly seen the clip for himself. The Mercedes chief added: “Unsportsmanlike. That is not the way it must be, waving him away.”
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