Isack Hadjar finished the Formula 1 Canadian GP in fifth place, his best result with Red Bull so far. But things could have taken a much worse turn.
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In an exciting battle against Charles Leclerc, the Frenchman ended up being aggressive in his defenses, with the Monegasque needing to avoid collisions. Although the Ferrari driver avoided the accident, the stewards gave the opponent a 10-second penalty – but in the end, it did not change the result.
“I was too hard and, actually, it wasn’t on purpose. I just got confused about where he was going, so obviously I didn’t want to throw him onto the grass. He is a very clean driver, so I think I apologized because it was kind of stupid,” he said.
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Leclerc also spoke about the moment and although he was startled by Hadjar’s move, he acknowledged that he held no resentment towards his opponent. “I think the penalty was fair. It was a bit too tight. Isack apologized, but these things happen. It’s hard to judge with these cars because there is such a big speed difference that, through the mirrors, you don’t realize how little you can see,” he told Canal+.
“I think he saw me coming and realized he went too far. But it happens, and it has happened to me in the past as well. So it’s just like that, it was close,” he added.
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