Hadjar crash leaves Red Bull facing repair race before final test day

Red Bull faces a race against time to repair Isack Hadjar's RB22 after a heavy crash during Tuesday's wet session at Barcelona. Team principal Laurent Mekies stated the team is unsure when they will run again, though they will "try our best" to fix the car before the week concludes.

Why it matters:

With only one test day remaining and the cars being brand new, any lost track time is critical. The crash not only halts Hadjar's promising momentum after a strong Monday but also threatens Max Verstappen's opportunity to gather meaningful data in the new machinery before the season begins.

The details:

• The Incident: Hadjar ended up backwards in the wall at the final corner due to tricky wet conditions, damaging the rear of the car.
• Repair Timeline: While Red Bull has the flexibility to run on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, Mekies emphasized that assessing the damage is the current priority.
• Spare Parts Concern: Given the newness of the RB22, the team may be short on spare components, complicating the repair process.
• Lost Momentum: The crash cut short a productive run for Hadjar, who was fastest on Monday and completed over 100 laps before the incident.

What's next:

If repairs are successful, Red Bull must strategically decide how to allocate the remaining track time between Hadjar and Verstappen. While this Barcelona test is valuable, the team still has two tests in Bahrain to complete their extensive checklist and prepare for the upcoming season.