Isack Hadjar suffered a tough debut in Formula 1 at the Australian Grand Prix, when the 20-year-old crashed on the formation lap.
Rain hit the circuit in the minutes before the start of the race, which made it extra slippery on the semi-permanent street track.
Hadjar started the formation lap from 11th on the grid and got as far as Turn 1 before he slid on the painted section of the track, and lost the rear of his Racing Bulls.
The car pivoted and crashed backwards into the barrier, causing significant damage to the rear crash structure and effectively ending his race before it started.
Hadjar was dejected when he exited the car and was consoled by Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony Hamilton, when he made it back to the paddock. Expecting the wrath of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, the Frenchman got a different response when speaking about it to Autosport.
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Helmut Marko told Isack Hadjar to ‘be better in China’ after Melbourne crash
Marko publicly said Hadjar’s crash was ’embarrassing’, which caused backlash from F1 fans on social media, who berated him for making negative comments about a rookie.
Hadjar is one of the six rookies who made their full-time debuts in Melbourne, with only Andrea Kimi Antonelli surviving the tricky conditions.
When he saw Marko after the incident, the Austrian who is known for being tough on drivers, offered some support for the Frenchman.
“He didn’t care about my crash. This kind of thing, it can happen to anyone. He was not mad or anything. He was just like: ‘OK, we’ll be better in China’. That was it,” said Hadjar.
Isack Hadjar has impressed since Australian GP crash
It might have been a difficult start to life in F1 for Hadjar, but he has impressed those in the paddock since his crash.
Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen has been impressed by Hadjar’s performances, with the Frenchman scoring points in two races so far this season, including Japan and Saudi Arabia.
| Driver | Points |
| Max Verstappen | 87 |
| Isack Hadjar | 5 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | 5 |
| Liam Lawson | 0 |
Hadjar promised to make ‘less silly mistakes’ after his accident in Melbourne, and so far he’s put in some strong performances for the Red Bull sister team.
He is the Red Bull driver with the second-highest points tally behind Max Verstappen, having scored the same amount as Yuki Tsunoda, who replaced Liam Lawson at the main team after two races.
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