Isack Hadjar’s Formula 1 debut turned into a nightmare when the French-Algerian driver crashed during the formation lap of the Australian Grand Prix.
Before he could even reach his team garage, Lewis Hamilton‘s father Anthony stepped in with words of encouragement for the devastated rookie.
“When I saw it happen, my heart just sank for him. Not just for him, for his parents, for everything they’ve done, to work hard to get to this one point,” Hamilton Sr. told Sky Sports.
The moment clearly struck a chord with the father who had guided his own son through the pressures of motorsport’s highest level.
“I just felt terrible for him. So I thought, ‘you know what, I need to go tell this kid: keep your head high, walk tall. You are going to come back.'”
It’s the kind of crash that can shake a young driver’s confidence to the core.
Hamilton Sr. believes there’s much more to come from Hadjar despite the rough start.
“I think he’s a phenomenal driver. I really do. I think there’s more to come from Isack than we probably have seen this weekend.”
The rookie has been taking the incident hard, expressing deep embarrassment not just for himself but for letting down his team.
But racing doesn’t leave much time for dwelling on mistakes.
Hadjar is already focusing on redemption at next week’s Chinese Grand Prix, where he’ll have a chance to show what he’s really capable of when the lights go out.
