The incident occurred as the drivers prepared for their second flying laps, with Verstappen making his way down the pit lane when Hadjar was released from the garage, while cutting directly across the line of the reigning world champion.

Verstappen was forced to take a quick swirl to avoid a collision, shaking his head in frustration as he continued down the pit lane. The Red Bull driver went on to qualify fourth, while Hadjar managed an impressive seventh place on the grid, finishing ahead of his more experienced team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who secured ninth.

In their investigation, the stewards found that Racing Bulls had committed a clear breach of Article 34.14a of the sporting regulations. The team admitted fault, with their representative acknowledging the late release and accepting responsibility.

The stewards noted that Hadjar had simply followed the instructions of his pit lane representative and that the unsafe timing of the release was a team error. Despite the infraction, the rookie's qualifying position remains unaffected, and he will retain seventh place on the grid for Sunday’s race.