Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar will be sent a replacement trophy to commemorate his maiden Formula 1 podium in Zandvoort after breaking the original.
Hadjar achieved a breakthrough podium spot in the Netherlands by finishing third behind Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, the sixth in his team’s 20-year history, which the Frenchman and the Anglo-Italian squad abundantly celebrated afterwards.
While the 20-year-old posed for a group picture with team boss Alan Permane and his crew, Hadjar’s ceramic trophy broke as he placed it on the ground, with the chalice instantly snapping off from its stem.
The amusing incident did little to dampen the celebrations, but producers of the trophy – which is made of traditional handmade Dutch pottery known as Delft Blue, have now confirmed Hadjar will receive another example.
“Together with the Dutch Grand Prix, we naturally want the winner of third place to receive the trophy he deserves. We are going to make a new trophy for Hadjar,” a Royal Delft spokesperson announced. “We don’t yet know when we will deliver it, but we are working hard on it.
“It’s an unfortunate combination of circumstances. In this case, the trophy was probably placed on an uneven surface. This can cause the pressure to be distributed unevenly and lead to stress points in the middle or at thinner parts, causing the material to crack and break.”
The producer added: “It is important to emphasise that the trophies have been on the podium for three years in a row without incident, making this a truly exceptional accident.”
Royal Delft confirmed that Hadjar will be allowed to keep his destroyed trophy as a souvenir to a weekend he is unlikely to forget. “The broken trophy will remain with Hadjar. It is also a memento of a legendary moment for him,” it confirmed.
It’s the second F1 podium trophy to break in as many years, with Lando Norris accidentally smashing Max Verstappen’s 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix winner’s trophy while slamming open his champagne bottle in the McLaren driver’s trademark style.
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