Isack Hadjar hits back at "grumpy" Fernando Alonso following Singapore GP battle
Alonso said Hadjar had taken an "unnecessary risk" when defending his position while nursing a suspected engine issue
Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team
Photo by: Bryn Lennon - Getty Images
Fernando Alonso criticized Isack Hadjar’s defence in the Singapore Grand Prix, with the 21-year-old Frenchman labelling the Formula 1 veteran “grumpy”.
Aston Martin’s Alonso had to overtake Hadjar twice during the Marina Bay race; first on lap 3 for eighth position, diving down the inside at the hairpin, then on lap 37 for 13th as the Racing Bulls driver nursed a suspected engine problem and struggled to accelerate out of Turn 3.
Alonso was unhappy with the youngster, whom he sarcastically branded “the hero of the race” over team radio, having spent two laps stuck behind the struggling Racing Bulls car – which cost him around five seconds.
“I mean, I didn't push him off the track,” Hadjar pointed out when facing the media after the race. “I kept it clean. If he didn't enjoy that fight, then he's really grumpy and there's nothing I can do for him.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing, Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Alonso became more nuanced than he was in the heat of the moment - though he doubled down on his criticism of Hadjar.
“I think he had a little bit of an engine problem, from what I understood, on the straights – he was slow,” the 44-year-old said. “Sometimes, some battles you need to know when it's better to fight, when it's not, because probably the final result of the race could be worse for both for sure – but for him in particular.
“So yeah, I think some unnecessary risk, but I understand that this is Singapore and you need to fight hard, and he did his best, but we lost time for sure.”
When Hadjar’s “grumpy” comment was put to him, Alonso played the conflict down.
“Well, some movements at 300km/h are a little bit borderline in Singapore, but everyone races as they want and there was no contact, nothing like that, so everything is fine,” he responded. “They have a very fast car, they don't have many points, so it's more their problem.”
Racing Bulls actually has more points than Aston Martin, as those teams lie sixth and seventh in the championship with 72 and 68 points respectively. Hadjar also has more points than Alonso – 39 to 36.
Additional reporting by Filip Cleeren and Cihangir Perperik
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