Isack Hadjar brands Fernando Alonso 'grumpy' after sarcastic 'hero' gibe

Isack Hadjar has branded Fernando Alonso as "grumpy" after the Aston Martin driver's sarcastic "hero" radio comment in the Singapore Grand Prix.

Battling engine troubles, Hadjar held up Alonso for nearly a full lap of Marina Bay, with the two dicing around the second half of the lap before Alonso powered past exiting Turn 3 on Lap 37.

The two-time champion then exclaimed over the radio that there should be a "trophy for the HERO of the race" as he went on to recover from a slow pit-stop to record a seventh-place finish after Lewis Hamilton's five-second time penalty.

Hadjar brought his wounded car home in 11th, narrowly missing out on a point to Carlos Sainz's Williams, but afterwards felt there was "nothing I can do" for Alonso if he did not enjoy the fight.

"I didn't push him off the track and I kept it clean," Hadjar explained to media, including RacingNews365. 

"If he didn't enjoy that fight, and he's really grumpy, then there is nothing I can do for him."

As for Alonso, when he was presented with Hadjar's "grumpy" comment, the Spanish veteran explained why he felt Hadjar should have been wiser in picking his battles.

"Some movements at 300kph are a little above the line in Singapore, but everyone races as they want, and there was no contact, so everything was fine," Alonso explained.

"They have a very fast car, but they don't have many points, so it is more their problem.

"I mean, I think he had a little bit of an engine problem, and on the straights, he was slow, so sometimes, with some battles, you need to know when it is better to fight and when it is not.

"Because the final result could be worse for both of us, but for him in particular, so there was some unnecessary risk. 

"But I understand this is Singapore, and you need to fight hard, and he did his best, but we lost some time for sure."