Latest news with #IsackHadjar
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
New wings present a challenge for Liam Lawson as F1 hits Spain
RB's New Zealand driver Liam Lawson. Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP Analysis: Back to a more traditional track this weekend and Racing Bulls need to show that they remain competitive. New Zealand driver Liam Lawson picked up his first points of the Formula 1 season with his eighth place finish at Monaco on Monday. However, unlike the principality the Spanish Grand Prix is on a circuit that is fast with some high speed corners. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is known for being a good test for a car's aerodynamics. That should help Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen, while the McLarens of championship leader Oscar Piastri and second placed Lando Norris could get a real test. The question for Lawson is how competitive will the Racing Bulls be? He and team-mate Isack Hadjar were both able to qualify in the top ten in Monaco last weekend and therefore could control their own destiny as they both scored points in what was the team's best result this year. Racing Bulls racing director Alan Permane admits there will be challenges in Spain. "It is a track that the teams and drivers know well and one that places a high demand on aerodynamic efficiency," Permane said. "The high-speed nature of the track and the expected high ambient and track temperatures give the tyres a real workout and Pirelli will bring their hardest 3 compounds. "The recent changes to the track layout have made overtaking easier and this will open up strategic options for Sunday. Barcelona has one of the longest runs down to turn 1 of the season and therefore it's essential to make a good start to the 66 racing laps on Sunday afternoon." Liam Lawson. Photo: photosport The Spanish Grand Prix also marks the introduction of a FIA technical directive aimed at reducing front wing flexibility from 15mm to 10mm. A more flexible front wing allows for a trade-off between down force and drag at different speeds. The change means teams are likely to try different wing options and it could have a major bearing for some when it comes to qualifying. Despite all of that Lawson has his sights set on scoring points again. "It feels good to be rounding out the triple header in Barcelona. It's a track we've tested a lot over the years, so feels very familiar to all the teams and drivers. "Normally it's quite a close race, but with some changes in the regulations to adapt to, we're set for an interesting weekend. "We're bouncing off a great weekend in Monaco for the team, so are ready to set our sights on scoring points again in Barcelona." McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari are the obvious front running teams while Racing Bulls is in a mid-table fight. Williams are fifth in the constructors' championship with 54 points, Haas has 26, Racing Bulls 22 and Aston Martin 14. Making the top ten in qualifying will again be the minimum of Lawson and Racing Bulls to give themselves another chance of points.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Furious F1 star in 'heated argument' with fan at Monaco Grand Prix moments before TV interview
Formula One rookie Isack Hadjar appeared to have an angry altercation with a fan just moments before a live interview during the Monaco Grand Prix. The Racing Bulls driver went on to claim sixth place in Monte Carlo on Sunday as McLaren's Lando Norris stormed to victory. But it has emerged that, a day earlier, Hadjar got involved in a confrontation as he was conducting his media duties following qualifying. The 20-year-old was leaving the media pen and heading towards the Sky Sports television crew for a live interview when he was asked for a photograph by a male bystander. However, things turned ugly when the fan made a disrespectful comment towards Hadjar, leading to a confrontation that left the rookie driver visibly upset. As the Sky cameras began their broadcast, Hadjar was still obviously affected by an incident which left the French-Algerian staring into the distance with a scowl on his face. The unpleasant encounter didn't spoil Hadjar's weekend, however, as he went on to achieve his best result of the season. After the race, Hadjar took the opportunity to praise his team-mate Liam Lawson who finished eighth. 'It was a perfect weekend for me,' he said. 'Liam helped me massively, it was great team work and also he helped me, but he also got points so I'm really happy for him.' Hadjar will now look to build on his good run of form at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
F1 star involved in altercation with fan moments before Sky Sports interview
Formula 1 rookie Isack Hadjar saw an angry exchange with a fan before recording an impressive result in Monaco to secure his best finish of the season Isack Hadjar was involved in an altercation with a fan over the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. The Racing Bulls driver engaged in a war of words as he left the media pen, following qualification, and was left to angrily stew on the incident. The 20-year-old was making his way towards Sky's F1 television crew to complete a live post-qualification interview with presenter Simon Lazenby and pundits Jenson Button and Naomi Schiff. But the rookie driver could be seen in a stand-off with a fan moments before appearing on air and had followed the individual to the bridge to Red Bull 's hospitality unit. Hadjar appeared on screen with the Sky F1 crew soon after, though appeared to initially be angrily staring off into the distance following the incident. The young driver's conflict is said to have been caused by a misunderstanding with the fan. The driver had been asked for a photograph as he exited the media pen. But a frosty conversation followed as the supporter made a disrespectful comment towards Hadjar. The interaction would not have dampened Hadjar's weekend for long however as the youngster claimed his best result of the Formula 1 season in Monaco. After qualifying in sixth and starting the race a place further up the field after Lewis Hamilton received a penalty for impeding Max Verstappen, Hadjar delivered in the race too. The Racing Bulls star earned a sixth place finish, with only the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton and world champion Max Verstappen beating him around Monte Carlo. That saw Hadjar record his fourth points finish of the season. And the driver paid tribute to team-mate Liam Lawson's efforts in allowing him to flourish in the race. "Qualifying was the most intense day and most hard work I've had to put in since I can remember," Hadjar said. "And the race, it was a bit easier because, I really relied on Liam. Sign up to our free weekly F1 newsletter, Pit Lane Chronicle, by entering your email address below so that every new edition lands straight in your inbox! "He followed the strategy, the plan perfectly and he offered me really early pit stops. So that was the target and that was perfectly executed. "I'm really proud because, you go into FP3, you finish P17, you go into quali, confidence is a bit ruined. And I'm proud that we didn't give up and we played it smart, going step by step and disconnected the brain little by little every qualifying lap. "We did a fantastic job. I think the key was just to keep it productive and keep the talking with my engineer to know what was going on [behind me]. "I was aware of Liam's pace, we were keeping an eye on Fernando. We knew what was going on, I was ready to box at any time. It was quite easy and I had fun. "Honestly, I didn't expect a Safety Car because the level of the field is really high so I knew nothing was going to happen. So I was confident the position was secured and I had to go until the end on these tyres which was a bit painful."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
F1's Monaco Grand Prix experiment flopped – but two changes can save prestigious race
Kudos for trying. After last year's no-change procession, the kingmakers at Formula One had to change something at the sport's traditional blue-riband event. A mandatory two pit-stops had never been written into the rulebook before; the aroma of mystique was palpable ahead of raceday in Monte-Carlo. As it turned out, the brains and boffins in the garages made a mockery of the regulation. Racing Bulls showed their hand first, with Liam Lawson driving purposefully slowly to hold up the pack behind him, allowing teammate Isack Hadjar to pit again without losing position. Then, Williams followed suit – with Carlos Sainz and then Alex Albon lapping nearly six seconds a lap slower than the frontrunners. Advertisement For both teams, double points-finishes. A tactic reeking of gamesmanship worked to perfection. It was all fair game – but it was master manipulation. As 2009 world champion Jenson Button put it afterwards: 'It was all just a bit silly.' Even for the drivers who benefited from the strategy, there was little solace in the leaderboard. Their racing instinct was curtailed here, at one of the sport's most glorious circuits to drive. That is not right. 'I must say this is not the way I like to race, or dream about racing in Monaco,' said Sainz, who finished 10th, afterwards. 'A bit disappointed with the whole race. The two-stops changes nothing around Monaco, people are still going to try and manipulate the final result. We either find a solution to the race-pace or it will always be like this in Monaco. Advertisement 'In the midfield, it backfired. It made things even more manipulated for people to get two stops and pit windows. I'm happy for F1 to try things. We tried, for me it didn't work. Maybe we just need to forbid the pace manipulation.' Announcing the new rule in February, the FIA insisted the mandatory three different tyre sets was implemented with the aim of 'promoting better racing.' But as Martin Brundle succinctly put on commentary: 'The focus was on pitting, not racing.' Sainz's teammate, Alex Albon, went a step further, apologising to fans watching on at home: 'It's not how we want to go racing. I know we put on a bad show for everyone and made some drivers angry behind us. Racing Bulls and Williams benefited from slowing down the entire field behind them (Getty Images) 'It's taking advantage of the track and the size of the cars. Just frustrating and apologies to everyone who watched it. Yeah, sorry!' Advertisement In the closing stages, George Russell actually decided to illegally cut a corner at the Nouvelle chicane in order to squeeze past a slow-moving Albon. The Mercedes driver duly received a drive-through penalty but despite also having to pit twice late on, he still finished 11th – higher than he would have done if he merely stayed behind Albon. Russell later called the new rule a 'flawed system.' George Russell labelled the new rule 'flawed' (Getty Images) Yet the simple facts are that the circuit configurations of the principality street circuit, coupled with the size of this era of Formula One car, make overtaking near-impossible in dry conditions. The use of DRS around the banana-straight is ineffective and if you try to overtake anywhere on the circuit, contact is unavoidable. Advertisement However, the battle at the front was tight on the timesheet until the very end. Max Verstappen held out for a late red-flag in front, before Lando Norris (who lapped most of the field twice) claimed victory – his first since the season-opener in Australia. Much like most years, it was a win secured with a scintillating final lap in qualifying. Yet the unprecedented race rule change will need some modification for 2026. Today, it fell flat. When you have Russell suggesting sprinklers and Verstappen proposing banana skins – a la Mario Kart – you know that the regulation has backfired. A maximum lap time would solve Sunday's issue – and could be applied in a similar way to track limits. Enforcing at least one pit-stop in the first half of the race could also stop such radical strategies. It may have seemed borderline farcical at times, but F1 should not be ridiculed for trying something different. They tried, they failed. And with a contract in Monaco until 2031, they'll be trying to find a different remedy for many a year to come.
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The Independent
6 days ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
F1's Monaco Grand Prix experiment flopped – but two changes can save prestigious race
Kudos for trying. After last year's no-change procession, the kingmakers at Formula One had to change something at the sport's traditional blue-riband event. A mandatory two pit-stops had never been written into the rulebook before; the aroma of mystique was palpable ahead of raceday in Monte-Carlo. As it turned out, the brains and boffins in the garages made a mockery of the regulation. Racing Bulls showed their hand first, with Liam Lawson driving purposefully slowly to hold up the pack behind him, allowing teammate Isack Hadjar to pit again without losing position. Then, Williams followed suit – with Carlos Sainz and then Alex Albon lapping nearly six seconds a lap slower than the frontrunners. For both teams, double points-finishes. A tactic reeking of gamesmanship worked to perfection. It was all fair game – but it was master manipulation. As 2009 world champion Jenson Button put it afterwards: 'It was all just a bit silly.' Even for the drivers who benefited from the strategy, there was little solace in the leaderboard. Their racing instinct was curtailed here, at one of the sport's most glorious circuits to drive. That is not right. 'I must say this is not the way I like to race, or dream about racing in Monaco,' said Sainz, who finished 10th, afterwards. 'A bit disappointed with the whole race. The two-stops changes nothing around Monaco, people are still going to try and manipulate the final result. We either find a solution to the race-pace or it will always be like this in Monaco. 'In the midfield, it backfired. It made things even more manipulated for people to get two stops and pit windows. I'm happy for F1 to try things. We tried, for me it didn't work. Maybe we just need to forbid the pace manipulation.' Announcing the new rule in February, the FIA insisted the mandatory three different tyre sets was implemented with the aim of 'promoting better racing.' But as Martin Brundle succinctly put on commentary: 'The focus was on pitting, not racing.' Sainz's teammate, Alex Albon, went a step further, apologising to fans watching on at home: 'It's not how we want to go racing. I know we put on a bad show for everyone and made some drivers angry behind us. 'It's taking advantage of the track and the size of the cars. Just frustrating and apologies to everyone who watched it. Yeah, sorry!' In the closing stages, George Russell actually decided to illegally cut a corner at the Nouvelle chicane in order to squeeze past a slow-moving Albon. The Mercedes driver duly received a drive-through penalty but despite also having to pit twice late on, he still finished 11th – higher than he would have done if he merely stayed behind Albon. Russell later called the new rule a 'flawed system.' Yet the simple facts are that the circuit configurations of the principality street circuit, coupled with the size of this era of Formula One car, make overtaking near-impossible in dry conditions. The use of DRS around the banana-straight is ineffective and if you try to overtake anywhere on the circuit, contact is unavoidable. However, the battle at the front was tight on the timesheet until the very end. Max Verstappen held out for a late red-flag in front, before Lando Norris (who lapped most of the field twice) claimed victory – his first since the season-opener in Australia. Much like most years, it was a win secured with a scintillating final lap in qualifying. Yet the unprecedented race rule change will need some modification for 2026. Today, it fell flat. When you have Russell suggesting sprinklers and Verstappen proposing banana skins – a la Mario Kart – you know that the regulation has backfired. A maximum lap time would solve Sunday's issue – and could be applied in a similar way to track limits. Enforcing at least one pit-stop in the first half of the race could also stop such radical strategies. It may have seemed borderline farcical at times, but F1 should not be ridiculed for trying something different. They tried, they failed. And with a contract in Monaco until 2031, they'll be trying to find a different remedy for many a year to come.
