Formula 1 gained another chapter of tension at the 2026 Chinese GP after the Sprint held in Shanghai. Toto Wolff harshly criticized Isack Hadjar’s reaction to the apology made by Kimi Antonelli after the incident between the two on the first lap of the sprint race.
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The Mercedes boss classified the Red Bull driver’s attitude as unsportsmanlike. The statement came after Antonelli sought out Hadjar in parc fermé to apologize for the contact that compromised the Frenchman’s race.
The incident happened during the opening lap of the Sprint. Antonelli started from second position but had a poor start and fell to the middle of the pack. In an attempt to recover ground, the Italian dived inside Hadjar’s car at turn 6.
With tires still cold, Antonelli locked his wheels and hit the right side of the RB22. The contact caused damage to Hadjar’s car, who had to carry the problem until the end of the race and finished only in 15th position.
For the move, the Mercedes driver received a ten-second penalty. The penalty was served during the pit stop, carried out under the safety car after Nico Hülkenberg’s car caused the neutralization of the race.
Even with the penalty, Antonelli still managed to finish the Sprint in fifth place. Hadjar, for his part, left the sprint race without scoring points and with the frustration of having his race compromised right at the start.
After the Sprint, Antonelli went to parc fermé to try to apologize to his rival. However, Hadjar apparently did not accept the Italian’s gesture, which provoked Wolff’s reaction in an interview with Sky Germany.
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Commenting on the maneuver, the Mercedes boss admitted the driver’s mistake. According to him, Antonelli forgot to activate the correct car mode at the start, which compromised acceleration and helped explain the loss of positions at the beginning of the race.
“Kimi forgot to activate the correct mode. He was without boost, and when you are in the wrong mode you simply cannot pull away,” Wolff stated. “It was clearly his mistake.”
The boss also considered the penalty severe, although he recognizes that the contact ruined Hadjar’s race. “I think ten seconds is still a bit heavy. In the end, he also ended Hadjar’s race,” he said.
When questioned about the French driver’s reaction to the apology, Wolff was direct. For the Mercedes boss, the way Hadjar treated Antonelli in parc fermé was not appropriate.
“That was unsportsmanlike,” he stated. “You can’t just dismiss him like that.”
The statement broadens the impact of the incident in Shanghai and adds more tension to a weekend that was already busy on and off the track in Formula 1.
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