“The focus now is on repairing the car and continuing testing.”
French driver Isack Hadjar crashed Red Bull Racing’s new RB22 car during pre-season Formula 1 testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The crash happened on a wet track late in the session. Hadjar lost control at the final corner and slid into the barriers.
Hadjar walked away unharmed. The car suffered damage, and the team is assessing repairs. The crash cut Red Bull’s running short for the day. The team now must decide whether to run on the remaining test day.
Hadjar, 21, joins Red Bull this season, replacing Yuki Tsunoda. The RB22 follows the new technical regulations and plays a key role in the team’s championship hopes. Team principal Laurent Mekies called the crash “very unfortunate” and said the team focuses on safety and preparing the car for the next sessions.
The pre-season tests in Barcelona give teams a chance to gather data, test reliability, and fine-tune setups. These shakedown runs prepare the teams for the official pre-season testing in Bahrain ahead of the 2026 season.