Red Bull hits pause in Barcelona after Hadjar crash

Red Bull’s Barcelona test plans were thrown into disarray on Wednesday morning, the Milton Keynes squad opting to keep its RB22 firmly in the garage following Isack Hadjar’s late crash on Tuesday that cut short the team’s running.

The decision means the reigning champions will sacrifice valuable track time at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with the clock now ticking on a tightly limited five-day test schedule.

Hadjar’s accident came in the final hour of Tuesday’s session, as the 21-year-old Frenchman wrestled with treacherous wet conditions. At the fast Turn 14, Verstappen’s new teammate lost control and spun backwards into the barriers, heavily damaging the rear of the RB22.

While Hadjar climbed out unscathed, the impact brought Red Bull’s day to a premature end and left the team facing an overnight investigation and repair job. Whether the crash was caused by driver error or a technical issue remains unclear, adding another layer of uncertainty to the team’s analysis.

Team principal Laurent Mekies struck a measured tone afterwards, balancing frustration with perspective as he reflected on the incident and the wider picture.

• Read also: Barcelona F1 test – Day 2: Verstappen fastest as Hadjar crashes

"There was some good learning on the wet,” Mekies said. “Unfortunately, it didn't end up in the right way, but what is important [is] that Isack is okay and we'll try our best to repair the car and to see what's coming next.

"It was a very tricky condition this afternoon, so very unfortunate that it finished that way, but it's part of the game. Again, very tricky, a lot of work to do on many aspects and these sorts of things can happen."

One Test Day Left, Big Decisions to Make

Red Bull had already logged mileage on Monday and Tuesday, and with each team allowed to run on only three days across the five-day test, the consequences of Hadjar’s crash are significant.

By pulling out of Wednesday’s running, the team now has just one day remaining to deploy its final “joker” – a decision Mekies made clear would not be rushed.

“These difficulties today came after a very, very positive day yesterday in terms of the number of laps Isack could complete in the car and in terms of his learning and development and feedback to the engineers,” he said.

"It's something we are trying to analyse now and hopefully we get some answer a bit later on. The priority right now is to assess the damage on the car and to see what it gives us in terms of opportunities to run in the next day.

“We only have one day left, so we have to make sure we place that card carefully and it's an analysis that will take still a few hours."

For now, Red Bull’s focus is firmly on the garage rather than the track – repairing the RB22, understanding what went wrong, and deciding when best to roll the dice on their final day of testing.

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