Isack Hadjar Slapped with Formal Warning for Aggressive Maneuver Against Alex Albon at US GP

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Isack Hadjar has been officially reprimanded by the stewards at the United States Grand Prix following a contentious incident with Williams’ Alex Albon during the final practice session at the Circuit of the Americas. The Red Bull driver was charged with erratic driving after a heated clash unfolded late in FP3, escalating tensions on the track.

The drama ignited as Hadjar locked up his brakes approaching Turn 1 while on a flying lap, convinced that Albon was impeding his racing line. The Frenchman ran wide but did not let the matter rest; instead, he veered alongside Albon’s car and aggressively steered towards it. It appeared Hadjar was attempting to block the Williams from rejoining the circuit, hanging on the outside of the corner in what the stewards labelled a “retaliatory action.”

Following a thorough investigation, the stewards issued a statement clarifying the sequence of events: “On the approach to Turn 1, car 23 [Albon] moved to the outside of the corner on the approach of car 6 [Hadjar], to avoid any impeding of that car. The driver of car 6 locked his brakes and had to abort the lap. He was obviously upset with this and took what could be described as ‘retaliatory action’ by swerving towards car 23.”

The panel condemned Hadjar’s behavior as “not only erratic but also an action that should be discouraged,” ultimately handing down a formal warning rather than a harsher penalty. They underscored that if the maneuver had been deemed dangerous or resulted in a collision, more severe sanctions would have been applied.

This warning serves as a stark reminder of the fine line drivers tread between competitive aggression and dangerous conduct on track. Hadjar’s attempt to send a message to Albon in such a high-stakes session underlines the mounting pressures in the championship battle, but the stewards made clear that such tactics will not be tolerated if they compromise safety.