Isack Hadjar celebrates his maiden F1 podium at Zandvoort. Image: XPB Images
The 20-year-old Racing Bulls driver, who finished third at Zandvoort on Sunday, saw his podium prize snap in two while setting it down for a team photo outside the garage.
The incident left Hadjar open-mouthed in disbelief before his mechanics turned it into a lighthearted moment, spraying him with champagne as he held up only the top half of the award.
Organisers moved quickly to reassure the Frenchman that he would not be left without a proper memento of the achievement, with the Dutch Grand Prix and trophy manufacturer Royal Delft confirming that a new version of the third-place prize is already being prepared.
“The trophies are made of high-quality ceramic and are hand-painted by our master painters. Ceramic is a beautiful, but also fragile material: it can break if exposed to unexpected vibration or impact,” a spokesperson for the Dutch Grand Prix said.
“In this case, the trophy was probably placed on an uneven surface. Then the pressure can distribute itself unevenly.
“This can lead to stress points in the middle or at thinner parts, which can cause the material to crack and thus break.”
They added that the Zandvoort prizes had been used for three consecutive years without issue, calling Hadjar’s accident “a truly exceptional” case.
Royal Delft, which has designed the distinctive blue-and-white podium trophies since the Dutch Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 2021, underlined its commitment to providing Hadjar with a fitting replacement.
“Together with the Dutch Grand Prix, we obviously want the winner of spot number 3 to get the trophy he deserves,” the company said.
“We are going to make a new trophy for Hadjar. When we will deliver it is not yet known, but we are working hard on it.
“The broken trophy stays with Hadjar. It is also a memento of a legendary moment for him.”
Hadjar’s misfortune capped an otherwise career-defining afternoon in which he became the youngest French driver ever to stand on a Formula 1 podium and the fifth youngest overall in the sport’s history.
Starting from fourth on the grid, he resisted pressure from Charles Leclerc and George Russell before moving into the top three when Lando Norris retired with six laps remaining.
The result was Racing Bulls’ first podium since 2021, and only the sixth for the Faenza-based squad since it started as Minardi in 1985.