Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has hit back at two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso over criticism over his defensive driving at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Frenchman had impressed all weekend before qualifying eighth at the Marina Bay Circuit, a position a frustrated Hadjar felt could have been improved had it not been for a mistake at Turn 8 on his final flying attempt.
After a strong start to the race, it looked as though he would consolidate his strong Saturday with points before trouble hit.
Hadjar’s issues
Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Hadjar began to drop back after his first pitstop as his team radioed in to tell him he had a power unit issue which was costing him three-to-four-tenths per lap.
That saw him slip into the clutches of the Aston Martin driver, who was slowly making his way back into the top 10 after strategy had dropped him into a gaggle of cars around the tight and twisting street circuit.
As he tried to get by, Hadjar used everything in his power to keep Alonso behind, always managing to get to the inside of a corner to keep the high ground and force his more experienced counterpart into a daring move around the outside.
After going almost an entire lap in direct combat with Hadjar, Alonso was audibly unhappy with the Dutch Grand Prix podium finisher and sarcastically called him “the hero of the race” over team radio.
LAP 37/62
Verstappen LOCKS UP and *just* keeps his Red Bull out of the barriers, but he’s lost a bit of time! 😱
Meanwhile, Hadjar is defending hard against Alonso who eventually finds his way past 💨#F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/igNlLQDQd3
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 5, 2025
Alonso, who lost around five seconds of race time in the skirmish, opted to provide coaching to Hadjar in his post-race media duties.
“I think he had a little bit of an engine problem, from what I understood, on the straights – he was slow,” said Alonso per Autosport.
“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.
But Hadjar was defiant when asked about the incident, insisting: “I didn’t push him off the track. 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.”
Alonso would eventually finish seventh after gaining a position post-race through a penalty for Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, while Hadjar just missed out on championship points in 11th place. He finished 6.5 seconds away from Williams’ Carlos Sainz, who had battled from the back of the grid after being disqualified in qualifying.
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