F1 star who suffered grim Hungarian GP injury wants FIA to take action

Isack Hadjar has requested that the FIA look into scrapping gravel traps after he was hit on the hand by small rocks kicked up by the car in front during the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Racing Bulls starlet battled through the pain barrier to complete the race, but made his complaints known after climbing out of the cockpit.

The incident took place on the opening lap of Sunday's race as the cars navigated the final sector of the Hungaroring circuit. Oliver Bearman, who was running in 11th place, kicked up gravel after running wide, spraying it in the direction of Hadjar's cockpit. Onboard footage from his Racing Bulls machine shows Hadjar recoiling in pain, and he quickly dialled into the radio to tell race engineer Pierre Hamelin: "Mate, my hand is f***ed. I took all the gravel, all the gravel, man."

Hadjar battled through and eventually crossed the line in 11th, behind Kimi Antonelli but ahead of seven-time world champion and F1 idol, Lewis Hamilton. Afterwards, he complained: "I hope they get rid of this, because it's dumb." Offering an update on the wrist, he added: "It's a bit sore, a bit blue, hurting again."

He later continued his tirade against gravel traps in an interview with F1 TV. "[The wrist is] not good," he said. "I think it's very stupid to have gravel positioned here, because if a car wheelspins in the gravel in front of you, then it goes into your hand, your helmet, and it's not nice."

While Hadjar now has a personal vendetta against gravel traps, many drivers support their inclusion in F1 circuit designs. At tracks with large, paved run-off areas, such as the Circuit of the Americas or Yas Marina Circuit, drivers can manipulate their rivals in wheel-to-wheel combat, causing issues for the stewards and making it harder for fans to decipher the action.

This was perfectly demonstrated when Lando Norris and Max Verstappen battled at the United States Grand Prix last year, or when Oscar Piastri fought the Dutchman on the opening lap in Jeddah in 2025.

When gravel traps are used on the outside of popular overtaking corners, they function as self-policing deterrents. Put simply, there are fewer opportunities for grey areas to arise in the racing regulations if drivers face a significant time penalty for going off track.

Gravel traps have been added to tracks as recently as 2024, with the Red Bull Ring, home of the beloved Austrian Grand Prix, gaining new strips at turns nine and 10 in an effort to police flagrant track limit violations, of which there were 83 the previous year.

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