F1 Miami Grand Prix: Red Bull issue apology after star disqualified

Mekies sat at the Red Bull F1 pit wall talking into Hadjar's ear — Photo: © IMAGO

Miami Grand Prix

Red Bull issue Miami Grand Prix apology after F1 star disqualified

Laurent Mekies admitted Red Bull made a costly mistake in Miami

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 3 May 2026 15:13 Updated: 16:34

Red Bull F1 team principal Laurent Mekies has issued an apology to driver Isack Hadjar after the FIA confirmed his disqualification from qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix.

After a five-week enforced break from the calendar following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix last month, F1 returned in Miami, where this time it was the weather playing havoc with the schedule.

At the time of writing, Sunday's race is under threat from heavy showers and potential thunder and lightning, with the window in which the main event is able to take place narrowing by the minute.

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Following blistering heat in the South Florida on Friday and Saturday, Sunday has seen the heavens open on the Miami International Autodrome, with the official grand prix start time brought forward by three hours to 1pm local time (ET) in an attempt to avoid lightning.

But even if the race is able to go ahead, Red Bull F1 star Isack Hadjar will have his work cut out to weave through the pack, having been demoted to P22 after the FIA announced his disqualification from qualifying on Sunday.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen sends Miami warning, Red Bull star disqualified

Why was Hadjar disqualified from qualifying?

The 21-year-old Frenchman qualified in ninth position for Sunday's main event in Miami, but following Saturday's session he received bad news when the FIA scrutineers noticed an illegal element on his car.

On Sunday, the stewards confirmed that the floor boards on his RB22 extended 2 millimeters beyond the legal reference volume on both sides, breaching this season’s technical standards.

As a result, Hadjar was disqualified, meaning his P9 qualification was made null and void.

F1's governing body granted him permission to start the race, albeit from the very back of the pack, whilst his four-time champion team-mate Max Verstappen is set to line up on the front row alongside polesitter Kimi Antonelli.

Mekies: 'We made a mistake'

Following the official confirmation of Hadjar's misery, Red Bull issued a team update via its social media channels in which Mekies issued an apology to Hadjar, admitting a mistake had been made.

The post read: "Isack will start today’s race from the back of the grid, as he was disqualified from qualifying when it was found that a small section of the left and right hand sides floorboard on his car were protruding out of the reference volume."

The update also included a statement from team principal Mekies, who admitted: "We made a mistake and we respect the decision of the Stewards.

"No performance advantage was intended nor gained from this error. We will learn from this incident and assess our processes to understand how it occurred and to take steps to ensure it cannot happen again.

"As a team, we apologise to Isack, and to our fans and partners. We learn the hard way today but we will move forward. Now our focus is on converting yesterday’s encouraging showing into a strong race performance this afternoon."

F1 Red Bull Miami Grand Prix Isack Hadjar Laurent Mekies Miami International Autodrome