Untelevised radio communications from the Japanese Grand Prix have unveiled Isack Hadjar’s heated moment, where he called his Red Bull teammate Arvid Lindblad an “idiot” after a tense race at Suzuka.
Red Bull continued to face difficulties at the start of the F1 2026 season in Japan, where Max Verstappen experienced a rare exit in Q2 at a track where he had dominated since 2022.
Hadjar Labels Lindblad ‘Idiot’ During Japanese GP Team Radio
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On race day, Verstappen could only manage to finish eighth, while Hadjar ended up in 12th place, failing to score points.
Frustrations mounted for Hadjar as he struggled to overtake Lindblad, the only rookie this season, during the race at Suzuka. Untelevised team radio communications captured Hadjar’s frustration, where he labeled Lindblad an “idiot” after finally getting past him during the pit-stop phase.
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Hadjar’s issues began early on when he was catching up to Verstappen on Lap 2, finding himself on the outside line entering the braking zone while Verstappen defended aggressively. This left Hadjar susceptible to an overtaking move from Esteban Ocon, who passed him on the main straight.
On Lap 5, Hadjar expressed confusion to his race engineer, Richard Wood, about why he had run out of SOC (state of charge) on a prior lap, leading to a discussion about his use of boost from Turn 14.
As the race progressed, Hadjar found himself stuck behind Lindblad, who was notably slowing down at key areas. After a series of blocked overtaking attempts, Hadjar’s best chance to overtake came during the pit-stop phase, where he ultimately gained the upper hand over Lindblad.
Post-race, Hadjar reflected on the impact of Lindblad’s defensive driving, stating that it affected both drivers negatively. He noted, “He let Max through and defends against me. It makes sense for him, but it was not very useful for both of us. But it’s OK. He’s young.”
