Mar.15 (GMM) Toto Wolff has sharply criticised Isack Hadjar after the Red Bull driver waved away Kimi Antonelli’s attempt to apologise in parc ferme following their sprint collision in Shanghai.
Antonelli, who received a penalty for the incident, approached Hadjar’s cockpit to shake hands. Hadjar brushed his hand away.
“That’s unsportsmanlike,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said. “Waving him away like that is unacceptable.”
Sky Deutschland’s Ralf Schumacher was also critical.
“You just don’t do that,” the former Williams driver said. “He’s a hothead – absolutely focused and gives everything for the sport. He’ll learn from it.
“In five years he might do things differently.”
Speaking to Canal Plus afterwards, Hadjar argued that his frustration was justified.
“Kimi completely sabotaged himself but after that I had to deal with damage for the rest of the race,” the French driver said. “That was very painful.”
The 21-year-old’s fire appears to be an asset, however. He is the first Red Bull teammate in some time to get genuinely close to Verstappen – the four-time world champion having burned through six predecessors – and Hadjar is notably upbeat about that particular battle.
“The best driver on the grid is next to me,” Hadjar said. “Being that close to him in every session – I think that’s not bad.”