David Coulthard shares what he’s heard about Isack Hadjar behind the scenes after tearful Australian Grand Prix exit

Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar took many people by surprise with how he started his Formula 1 career.

Isack Hadjar outqualified all of the other drivers who are starting their first full Formula 1 season this year at the Australian Grand Prix.

Racing Bulls took many people by surprise in Melbourne with their pace as Hadjar’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda put his car on the third row of the grid ahead of both Ferraris.

However, by the end of the race weekend, team principal Laurent Mekies walked away point-less after a gutting Sunday.

Tsunoda’s botched strategy ruined his chance of a top-10 finish after running fifth for much of the race.

He performed better than Hadjar who crashed on the formation lap and still technically hasn’t started a Formula 1 race.

Lewis Hamilton’s father consoled Hadjar in the paddock after he was seen in tears walking back to the garage.

Ted Kravitz spotted Hadjar looking nervous before the race and those nerves will only be amped up at the Chinese Grand Prix, especially if the conditions are changeable.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know

David Coulthard shares what he’s heard about Isack Hadjar after Australian Grand Prix crash

Channel 4 pundit and F1 race winner David Coulthard was speaking after the race in Melbourne with Mark Webber and they came onto the topic of Hadjar’s crash.

Webber provided his verdict and said: “[It was] the lap to the grid mate, and you know, people have been bitten by that.

It’s a super, super tricky scenario on the pal, he was mortified.

“There’s Anthony Hamilton giving him some much-needed love at that critical point.

Look, the downs in motorsport, they’re always there. They’re going to come and go, you just got to bounce back from those.

“So, it’s good that China’s only a few days away, he’s going be in the car and reset again.”

Coulthard replied to Webber and shared: “I felt for him, but actually, the word on the street was that he’s quick, but emotionally a little bit on the edge.

“That was a long walk back of feeling remorse. The guys that I’ve seen have been serial winners, they just switch and turn the page like that, and they go from being down to I’ll win the next one.

“So it’s all part of the learning.”

READ MORE: All to know about Racing Bulls from team principal to Red Bull affiliation

Isack Hadjar will be looking over his shoulder at Red Bull’s impressive junior team

Hadjar was the final driver to have his Formula 1 status confirmed for the 2025 season.

He benefitted from Sergio Perez being dropped by Red Bull and Liam Lawson being promoted into his seat as a result.

However, Red Bull and Helmut Marko in particular are brutal when it comes to their driver decisions.

Isack Hadjar crashes out! 😮

Terminal damage on the formation lap for a devastated Hadjar #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/PMmXQCnmA9

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

Marko labelled Hadjar’s response to his crash ‘embarrassing’ and while it may be a harsh opinion, it highlights what he expects from his drivers once they reach Formula 1.

Tsunoda is expected to leave Racing Bulls at the end of 2025 as Honda’s partnership with Red Bull comes to an end which could open up a race seat.

If Hadjar underperforms, then Marko and Mekies might consider extending the Japanese driver’s deal again.

Arvid Lindblad is highly rated by Red Bull staff and is racing in Formula 2 this year.

Although his debut wasn’t spectacular in Australia, he’s already got enough superlicense points to earn an immediate promotion if required, subject to FIA approval due to being over 17 years old.