Isack Hadjar Crashes Out of FP1 at Monaco GP, Triggering Red Flag

Isack Hadjar's first practice session at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix came to an abrupt halt after he crashed into the barriers at the Swimming Pool chicane. The Red Bull driver lost the rear of his RB22 through the right-hand exit and slid into the wall, bringing out the red flag with 24 minutes remaining. Hadjar apologized over team radio, saying "I don't understand why it snapped off like that. I'm sorry."

Why it matters:

Monaco is a track where confidence and clean running are critical, and this incident puts Hadjar on the back foot for the rest of the weekend. Red Bull now faces a tight turnaround to repair the damaged nose before FP2.

The details:

• The crash occurred at the Swimming Pool complex, one of the most challenging sections of the street circuit.
• Hadjar was running eighth fastest at the time, with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli leading the session.
• Antonelli, the championship leader, topped the timesheets ahead of home favorite Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and teammate George Russell.
• Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) rounded out the top five.
• The red flag caused a brief interruption, but other drivers resumed once the barrier was checked.
• Hadjar was unhurt and walked away from the car. Initial damage appears limited to the front nose cone, allowing for a feasible repair.

What's next:

Red Bull has a two-hour window to fix the car before FP2 at 5pm local time. Hadjar will need to regroup quickly to build his pace for qualifying. With the team still adapting to the new 2026 regulations, any lost track time is costly.