Max Verstappen’s crash: Isack Hadjar suggests a possible cause

Max Verstappen caused quite a stir in the closing stages of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix when he went off the track at Turn 9. The four-time world champion was on his final flying lap when he lost control of his car in Q3 and skidded through the gravel trap into the barriers.

Questions about what led to the incident arose after the time trial, and Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar had a theory as to what caused the 71-time Grand Prix winner to go off the track. When asked about it, the Frenchman explained: “I think he had a problem with the straight-mode, which wasn’t working properly.”

“It’s to do with the extensive upgrades,” the 21-year-old is convinced. He himself didn’t have an easy time of it either and ultimately had to settle for eighth place. “I just don’t feel comfortable in the car at all, and the gap to the front is quite big – even bigger than it was in Barcelona.”

That’s why his eighth place came as a surprise, Hadjar admitted afterwards. “I didn’t have a good feel for the brakes all weekend, and I struggled with energy management and the balance. Given these concerns, eighth place was a reasonable result,” he said, giving himself a positive assessment.

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