The Frenchman narrowly avoided one of the biggest crashes in motorsport.

One of the most widely shared clips on social media during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend came from Formula 2 as Isack Hadjar’s rapid reaction times saved both him and Rodin Motorsport’s Ritomo Miyata from a catastrophic accident.

The near miss happened during Friday’s qualifying session and saw Miyata’s car slow down to a halt in the tunnel section of the track during his flying lap after a power unit issue. The Japanese driver tucked into the barrier on the right hand side of the tunnel bend and was out of view to oncoming traffic.

Hadjar of Campos Racing was closely behind and, thanks to his swift reactions, was able to weave past the stranded Rodin at full speed just in the nick of time and stay on the track ahead of the Nouvelle Chicane.

It doesn’t bear thinking about the scale of the crash that may have potentially taken place but Hadjar’s quick thinking has earned him special praise during the supporting event of the Monaco weekend. Hadjar - a junior driver for Red Bull - secured a P3 starting position for Sunday’s race behind Richard Verschoor and Victor Martins, but this moment will be talked about most in the coming weeks.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Sky Sports F1 & Red Bull