Isack Hadjar received a warning from the FIA, following an investigation into a minor infraction during a practice start in the Sprint race of the Formula 1 Chinese GP. The French driver had faced a difficult race, starting from 10th place and dropping to 15th after contact with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who in turn received a ten-second penalty but finished 5th after starting 2nd.
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According to the FIA, Hadjar did not correctly follow the instructions for cars that do not wish to perform a practice start: “Cars that do not wish to perform a practice start must leave the pit lane and cross the white line separating the pit exit from the track at the nearest possible point, entering the normal racing line.”
In Hadjar’s case, the car partially crossed the white line, with part still remaining in the pit exit, constituting an infraction. The driver explained that he was confused by the various lines on the circuit and acknowledged the error.
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The FIA emphasized that the incident did not represent a direct danger to other cars, but had the potential for it, justifying the warning: “Following precedents of similar incidents, we have therefore issued a warning to the driver,” the organization’s statement concludes.
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