While the 2025 F1 Hungarian GP will be remembered for Lando Norris’ masterful victory and the gripping intra-team duel with Oscar Piastri, the race left Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar nursing more than just disappointment after a bruising early incident derailed what could have been a points-scoring afternoon.
As it happened for Hadjar
Hadjar finished a hard-fought P11 in the F1 Hungarian GP, just outside the points, but his post-race debrief revealed a physical battle few had noticed. On the opening lap, the Frenchman was hit by a spray of gravel from Ollie Bearman’s car; an impact he claims caused a painful hand injury that lasted the entire 70-lap contest.
Yet, Hadjar was quick to dismiss the notion that the injury was his biggest concern. “No, I wish it was the problem, but no,” he said in the print media pen when asked if the hand was to blame for missing out on points.
The drama began early. Bearman, who passed Hadjar at the start, sent up a plume of gravel in his wake—some of it finding its way through the narrow cockpit opening and striking Hadjar’s hand. The contact left it sore and discoloured.
“Yeah, but it was honestly drivable, and I could focus,” he explained, though later admitted: “Oh yeah, it was definitely [distracting]. I hope they get rid of this, because it’s dumb.”
The real issues during the Hungarian GP
While the injury may not have been race-defining in itself, Hadjar made clear that the true performance deficit came from the strategy and track position, not the pain.
“Yeah, we had no tyre advantage, so to overtake was impossible. I tried my best behind Ollie [Bearman], but we got so screwed behind him. Once he pitted, I tried to extend a bit, and the pace came back.
“We gained one second per lap. I was like, okay, it’s a shame, because I knew I was going to have to pit to cover the cars from behind. The second half of the race was very, very strong.
“The pace was very good. We nearly got Kimi [Antonelli] at the end. It was strong.”
That surge in performance after Bearman’s retirement was one of the few highlights of Hadjar’s day, as he closed down Mercedes’ Antonelli in the final laps but ultimately fell short of the final points-paying position. The Hungarian GP marks another near-miss in a season that has seen Hadjar frequently on the cusp of the top 10.
When asked about the injury and whether it was something he’d dealt with before in racing, Hadjar replied candidly: “Yeah, I had, but not this amount, and not at this speed.”
Frustration growing?
Hadjar’s frustration also extended to the bigger picture. Despite being consistently competitive over the F1 Hungarian GP weekend, a small mistake as he briefly took to the grass in qualifying compromised his race prospects, something that clearly still stung.
“There’s been the last few races where we’re running easily in the points, and we got issues. So I’m okay with that. It can happen during a season, but this weekend we’ve been on top of it every session.
“And only a very small mistake yesterday, when it mattered, just compromised the rest. It’s great that Liam [Lawson] scored points, but on the other hand, when you’re ahead the whole weekend, and you’re the one not finishing in the points, it definitely hurts.”
As the paddock heads into the summer break, Hadjar sits on the outside looking in: fighting to convert pace into results, while managing the frustrations that come with a car on the edge of the midfield battle.
With the pain of Hungary still fresh—physically and mentally—the Frenchman will be hoping for better luck when the season resumes in the Netherlands later this month.
