In a stirring moment of empathy and sportsmanship, Anthony Hamilton, the father of renowned Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, offered words of comfort to the young and disheartened Isack Hadjar. The 20-year-old driver was caught in a wave of emotions after crashing his Racing Bulls F1 vehicle during the formation lap at the rain-drenched Albert Park, a misfortune that would see him miss the Australian Grand Prix.
As Hadjar, cloaked in disappointment, trudged back to the paddock, his sorrow hidden behind his helmet, he was met by an unexpected figure, Anthony Hamilton. Hamilton, who was present in the Ferrari garage to witness his son Lewis’s debut in red, extended a comforting hand to the visibly upset Hadjar.
Hamilton, in an interview with Sky F1, expressed his sympathy for the young driver. “When I saw it happen, my heart just sank for him. Not just for him, for his parents, for everything that they’ve done, to work hard to get to this point,” he said. “And it’s like snatched from you. And I just felt terrible for him. So I just thought, ‘you know what, I need to go tell this kid, keep your head high, walk tall, you’re gonna come back.'”
Indeed, Hamilton’s faith in Hadjar’s talent is unwavering. He praised the youngster as a “phenomenal driver” and expressed his conviction that there were more remarkable performances to come from Hadjar.
Hadjar, on his part, was deeply moved by Hamilton’s gesture. He appreciated Hamilton’s recognition and encouragement during his challenging time. “It means a lot knowing he knew who I was, how I felt, going to see me in the worst moment ever,” he said. Revealing Hamilton’s words of encouragement, Hadjar quoted, “Keep my head high and improve myself, that I did well yesterday. Nice stuff.”
There were others within the F1 fraternity who shared their consolation with Hadjar, including F1 chief Stefano Domenicali who also offered his support to the young driver at the Racing Bulls hospitality. “Stefano came into my room and said similar things [to Hamilton]. It’s nice to see that I get this support from the team, it means a lot to me,” said Hadjar.
However, not all the reactions were as compassionate. Helmut Marko, notable for his blunt remarks, found Hadjar’s emotional display a “bit embarrassing”. Yet, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner displayed a more empathetic stance, calling the incident “heart-wrenching” and reminding everyone that these drivers are still young and prone to emotional responses. Horner further encouraged Hadjar to focus on the positives, applauding his performance during the practices and qualifying rounds. He reassured the young driver that there were many bright days ahead of him.
