Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar is set to be excluded from qualifying at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix after his car failed technical scrutineering. The breach involves the floor board protruding 2mm beyond regulations. He will start Sunday's race from the pitlane instead of ninth on the grid.
During post-qualifying scrutineering, the FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer found that the left-hand side and right-hand side floor boards on Hadjar's RB22 car protruded 2mm outside the reference volume RV-FLOOR BOARD. This violates Article C3.5.5 of the 2026 Formula 1 Technical Regulations. Bauer referred the matter to the stewards for consideration, as detailed in his report to the FIA stewards. Hadjar is therefore set to lose his ninth-place qualifying position and start the race from the pitlane on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at 1pm local Miami time, which was advanced from 4pm due to incoming thunderstorms. A joint statement from the FIA, FOM, and Miami promoter confirmed the schedule change to allow a larger window for completing the race amid forecasts of heavy rain and lightning risks. Local laws require halting the event for lightning within an eight-mile radius, with a 30-minute observation period before resuming. Before the disqualification news, Hadjar commented on his qualifying struggles, saying, “The car was very hard to drive, it was very fast. In Q3 I just couldn't put it all together and on the other side we have no straight line speed.” He attributed the 0.825-second deficit to teammate Max Verstappen to the low-grip conditions at the Miami track, noting Verstappen's strong adaptation. Meanwhile, Verstappen qualified second behind polesitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
