Helmut Marko has described Isack Hadjar’s reaction to crashing out on the formation lap at the Australian Grand Prix as “a bit embarrassing”.
Hadjar lost control at Turn 2 in wet conditions when trying to generate tire temperature on the way to the grid, crashing into the barrier and failing to make the start of what was his debut race. The Racing Bulls driver was then pictured walking down the paddock in tears, returning to his team distraught at his error.
“Isack Hadjar did a little bit of crying after his crash,” he told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “That was a bit embarrassing.”
However, Marko’s comments were not reciprocated by the majority of the paddock, after Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony stopped the rookie – who has made no secret of the fact Hamilton is his hero – on his return from the incident to offer words of encouragement.
“When I saw it happen, my heart just sank for him,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “Not just for him, for his parents, for everything they’ve done to work hard to get to this one point, and it’s like it’s snatched from you.
“I just felt terrible for him, so I thought ‘you know what, I need to go and tell this kid keep your head high, walk tall, you’re gonna come back’. I think he’s a phenomenal driver. I think there’s more to come from Isack than we probably have seen this weekend.”
Hadjar himself explained the incident was caused by a desire to try and be aggressive in the way he warmed his tires before a wet first race start in F1, and said he felt terrible for his car crew but was grateful for the gesture from Anthony Hamilton.
“(Hamilton said) just keep your head high,” Hadjar said. “I think he knows what tough times are and I think he sees a rookie putting it in the wall on not even lap one, he knows how tough it feels. He came to comfort me, I think it was a really nice gesture from him. But nevertheless it feels really hard and I feel really sorry for the team.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was another who was supportive of Hadjar’s reaction to the crash, despite the severity of his error ruling him out of the race before it had even started.
“It was quite heart-wrenching to see him so gutted in his first grand prix,” Horner said. “I think the positives he needs to take out of it when he reflects on the weekend. He performed very well through the practices and the qualifying.
“You forget that these guys are just kids really. Obviously a lot of emotion for him, but I think when he strips it back, there’s an awful lot of positives he can take out of the weekend. He’s got many bright days ahead of him.”
