Kimi Antonelli spoke with Isack Hadjar to resolve their clash from the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix sprint race. The incident occurred on the opening lap in Shanghai, leading to a penalty for Antonelli. The matter was settled amicably before the main race.
In the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli had a poor start and became stuck in the middle of the pack. On the opening lap, he understeered into Turn 6, making contact with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar and causing damage to the RB22. Stewards held Antonelli responsible and issued a 10-second penalty during the sprint. Antonelli finished fourth and approached Hadjar in parc ferme to apologize, but Hadjar, still in his cockpit, refused the gesture at the time. Speaking to Canal+ afterward, Hadjar said: “I don’t understand why he’s so overexcited when he has a rocket and will make his way back up anyway… Well, these things happen.” By Sunday, tensions had eased. After securing his first Formula 1 grand prix victory, Antonelli confirmed in the post-race press conference that he addressed the issue during the drivers’ parade. “Yeah, I did today in the drivers’ parade and it’s all good,” he said. Antonelli took responsibility: “Of course, yesterday it was definitely my mistake because I ran into him, of course not on purpose, and I damaged his race. So, I take my responsibility and after the race of course I went to apologise. He was in the heat of the moment.” He added: “We know how Isack is sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment, so I wasn’t too bothered by it because today it was all fine again.”
