Isack Hadjar closing in on F1 grid penalty after Zandvoort woes
Isack Hadjar going off the track as his Racing Bulls suffered engine issues
Isack Hadjar is knocking on the door of a grid penalty after the FIA confirmed that Racing Bulls had installed his fourth and final penalty-free internal combustion engine ahead of Saturday’s FP3 at the Dutch Grand Prix.
His VCARB02 was also fitted with a new turbocharger, MGU-K and MGU-H, all of which were the final penalty-free components.
Isack Hadjar is one engine failure away from a grid penalty
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Hadjar was 12th fastest in Friday’s opening practice hour for the Dutch Grand Prix, but failed to set a time in the day’s second session.
Out on track for his first lap of FP2, the Frenchman ran slowly before pulling to the side of the track with a problem with his Racing Bulls car that triggered a Virtual Safety Car.
Hadjar later revealed that his problems began in FP1.
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“I mean, we had sensor issues in the PU in FP1,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com, “and we decided to change the battery, the PU.
“Then going out again in FP2, obviously I went out a bit delayed.
“The team was not happy with the way the battery was operating, so they asked me to stop. That was it.”
Racing Bulls changed the battery, internal combustion engine and other parts overnight with the team breaking curfew to ensure the car was ready for FP3.
Hadjar confirmed that plan on Friday, speaking of “completely changing it” so that it “will be solved” on Saturday.
The changes, though, have put the 20-year-old on the cusp of a grid penalty.
The FIA confirmed the new power unit on Saturday, with Hadjar taking his fourth internal combustion engine, turbocharger, motor generator unit-heat and motor generator unit-kinetic.
That means one more failure this season, and he’ll potentially be lining up at the very back of the grid as each driver can use four of each component during a season before incurring a penalty.
He has also received a new exhaust, his sixth of eight penalty-free exhausts.
Despite missing an entire practice session, Hadjar isn’t too worried that he’ll be unprepared for qualifying.
“Usually by the end of FP3, I feel ready to go to qualifying so I think with only two free practice sessions, I think it will be enough. Fortunately, we can still have a good look at what Liam did.”
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