Isack Hadjar suffered a heartbreaking start to his Formula 1 career after crashing out of the Australian Grand Prix before it had even started.
The Frenchman was eagerly anticipating his first race for Racing Bulls in the 2025 season. Hadjar had impressed in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix by narrowly missing out on Q3 with 11th – he was the highest-placed rookie on the grid for the race.
Wet weather conditions on Sunday set up a difficult first Grand Prix for the 20-year-old – but it was over before the lights went out. Hadjar navigated the first corner but lost control and hit the wall, causing an abandoned start.
The Frenchman was incredibly emotional after such a huge mistake. Hadjar was consoled by Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony on his walk back to the paddock, telling him to keep his head up.
Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko was not as sympathetic. The Austrian labelled the rookie’s tearful exit from the race as ’embarrassing’.
And F1 fans were not impressed by the remarks as they came to Hadjar’s defence on social media.
F1 fans scold Helmut Marko’s ’embarrassing’ comments to Isack Hadjar
Posting on his Instagram account, the Racing Bulls driver reflected on a ‘painful’ Sunday in Melbourne. He thanked his fans for their ‘unreal support’ as he gears up for the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend.
And it did not take long for fans to flood his comments with encouragement as they told him not to pay attention to Marko’s remarks.
“One fan said: “Ignore Helmut’s comments, showing emotion is never embarrassing. Good luck in your next race.” Another was far from impressed with the Austrian: “Helmut Marko can shove it man, one race does not define the driver. I can’t wait to see how you do in Shanghai and beyond, keep it up man!”
One user told Hadjar: “Don’t let the negative comments bother you! Keep pushing forward,” while another said they were: “Rooting for you no matter what. you are a great driver and haters just need to look at themselves before criticizing you.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know
“Showing your emotions isn’t embarrassing. I’m proud of you. Onto Chinese GP now.”
Another fan echoed the same thoughts: “We’re with you Isack. I hope you realize that lots of people from around the world are supporting you. And it’s not the words of a certain person that should reach you but only our support. Can’t wait to see you in Imola. Take care of yourself and we’re off again this Friday!”
Finally, Hadjar received words of encouragement from his former F2 competitors. Zane Maloney told him to: “Keep pushing bro,” while Jak Crawford said: “Head up bro.”
Isack Hadjar makes promise to Racing Bulls after Australian Grand Prix
A huge mistake like this will be a bitter pill to swallow, especially on debut. It will be interesting to see how Hadjar responds in Shanghai.
The Frenchman was not the only rookie to crash out as Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson all found the barriers. The last of those three had an almost identical crash to Hadjar as rain hit the circuit for the second time.
Despite the damaging outcome in Melbourne, the 20-year-old is looking to dust himself off and move forward. Hadjar has promised to make ‘less silly mistakes’ after his accident.
Racing Bulls strong signs of performance over the weekend even if it yielded no points. Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda will look to get up and running in China.
