Hadjar crashes Red Bull into barriers at Monaco GP FP1, triggering red flag

Isack Hadjar crashed his Red Bull RB22 into the barriers at the exit of the Swimming Pool chicane during the first practice session of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, triggering a red flag with just under 24 minutes remaining of the 60-minute session. The rookie walked away from the wreckage unassisted and made his own way back to the Red Bull garage, but the car sustained heavy nose damage.

The incident began when the RB22 oversteered through the right-hand turn at the chicane exit. Hadjar attempted to correct the slide but could not prevent the car from making head-on contact with the barriers. Speaking over team radio immediately after, he offered a brief apology to his engineers: “I don’t understand like why it snapped off like that. I’m sorry.”

At the moment the red flag was shown, Hadjar had been running eighth on the timing screens. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli had set the pace for Mercedes, with Monaco favourite Charles Leclerc second and George Russell third. Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri completed the top five.

Red Bull faces a tight turnaround to repair the car before the second practice session, scheduled for 5pm local time.