The FIA has confirmed its final decision following a post-qualifying investigation at the Austrian Grand Prix, with Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar avoiding a grid penalty despite being summoned to the stewards after Saturday’s session at the Red Bull Ring.
Qualifying delivered plenty of drama as the battle for pole position went down to the final moments. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen looked capable of challenging for the fastest lap before losing control of his Red Bull at high speed. The Dutchman spun into the gravel during his final flying lap, bringing an abrupt end to his qualifying effort and leaving him fifth on the grid for Sunday’s race.
Verstappen’s crash also created confusion over the fight for pole position. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had briefly gone fastest before Mercedes driver George Russell produced an even quicker lap to take provisional pole. However, with yellow flags being shown after Verstappen’s accident, uncertainty spread throughout the paddock over whether Russell’s lap would stand.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli was among those who believed double-waved yellow flags had been displayed, prompting him to abandon his own flying lap. Ferrari also appeared unsure whether Russell’s pole-winning effort might later be deleted for failing to slow sufficiently through the incident zone.
The confusion was quickly resolved after the session. The FIA confirmed that Russell’s pole lap was entirely legal and that there would be no investigation into the Mercedes driver. Officials also clarified that the lap deleted from the timing screens belonged to Russell’s in-lap rather than the lap that secured him pole position, ensuring the Briton retained the top spot on the grid.
While the pole position controversy was settled, attention soon shifted to Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, Isack Hadjar. The French driver was summoned to the stewards over an alleged breach of FIA Formula 1 sporting regulations concerning driving unnecessarily slowly during qualifying.
Hadjar and a Red Bull team representative met with the stewards, who examined positioning and marshalling data, official timing information, and onboard video footage before reaching a verdict.
In their official statement, the stewards concluded that Hadjar had completed the relevant section of the session without either overtaking another car or being overtaken. As a result, they ruled that he had driven unnecessarily slowly, which constituted a breach of the regulations.
Despite that finding, the FIA decided not to impose a sporting penalty. Instead, Hadjar received an official warning, allowing him to keep his eighth-place qualifying result for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.
The decision means Red Bull avoids losing another valuable starting position after Verstappen’s disappointing qualifying crash, while Hadjar will still line up inside the top ten as the team aims to recover strong points during Sunday’s race at the Red Bull Ring.
