Hamilton’s Heartfelt Hug: A Father’s Support for Hadjar

Anthony Hamilton: “I Felt for Isack Like a Father”

After a devastating debut crash, Anthony Hamilton comforted Isack Hadjar, offering fatherly support to the heartbroken young driver in Melbourne.

Anthony Hamilton, father of Lewis Hamilton, shared what moved him to comfort Isack Hadjar after the distraught Racing Bulls driver made his way back to the F1 paddock in Melbourne.

The young Frenchman suffered a heartbreaking accident during the formation lap of the Australian Grand Prix—his very first race in Formula 1. His VCARB 02 lost grip on the slippery white track markings, sending him crashing hard into the barriers and forcing him to retire before the race even began.

TV cameras captured the 20-year-old in tears, struggling to process what had just happened. He kept his helmet on, trying to hide the raw emotion of the moment.

For Hamilton, seeing Hadjar in that state struck a deep chord. Knowing that his own son, Lewis, was Hadjar’s childhood hero, he felt compelled to offer support—drawing from his own experience as a father who has been through the highs and lows of racing.

“The moment I saw what had happened to Isack, my heart sank for him. Not just for him, but for his parents too. I know how much effort goes into reaching this level, and then suddenly, it’s all taken away in an instant.”

“It was heartbreaking to watch because I understand how tough it is for these young drivers. Their entire journey is filled with pressure, and when you finally make it to your first race, and it all falls apart like that—it’s probably the worst feeling in the world. I really felt for him.”

Hamilton’s Fatherly Words to Hadjar: ‘Walk Tall, You’ll Bounce Back’

“I just wanted to hug him. I felt for him like a father would for his own child.”

“And because I could see how devastated he was, I knew I had to tell him something. I told him, ‘Keep your head up. Walk tall. You will come back from this.’”

“I truly believe Isack is an incredible driver. He has so much more to show than what we saw this weekend.”

Before the incident, Hadjar had shown impressive pace in Melbourne, making steady progress throughout practice and coming close to reaching Q3 in qualifying. He was set to start the race from P11—a solid debut position.

However, not everyone shared Hamilton’s empathetic stance. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was far less forgiving, openly criticizing Hadjar’s emotional reaction, calling it “embarrassing to watch.”

Later, after the live TV footage of their interaction, Hamilton went back to see Hadjar again in the Racing Bulls hospitality area, reinforcing his support for the young driver.

Hamilton to Hadjar: ‘Hold Your Head High, You’ll Bounce Back’

Anthony Hamilton’s Heartfelt Hug: A Father’s Support for Hadjar Anthony Hamilton’s Heartfelt Hug: A Father’s Support for Hadjar

Race Center
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Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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