F1 star left ‘crying his eyes out’ after crash before Australian Grand Prix even begins

Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony was one of the first to rush to console Isack Hadjar as he bawled following his crash on the formation lap before the Melbourne race

Rookie racer Isack Hadjar was left distraught after crashing before his first Formula 1 race even began.

The 20-year-old was set to make his F1 debut for Red Bull sister team Racing Bulls at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. And the Frenchman impressed in qualifying by going 11th fastest – the highest finish of any of the handful of rookies on the grid this year.

However, things quickly unravelled on Sunday when, in wet conditions, he lost control of his car on the formation lap. He buries the rear wing into a barrier and that was enough damage done to ensure he would not even start the race.

He was uninjured and quickly out of the car. But even under his racing helmet, Hadjar’s emotions were obvious as he held his head in his hands as a marshal consoled him while also guiding him off the track so he could return on foot to the paddock.

As he did so, Anthony Hamilton – father of seven-time champion Lewis who was making his debut for Ferrari – made his way over to throw an arm of support around the youngster. F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali was another who personally checked in on him.

Commentating on the scenes, Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle explained how it had happened: “He was just trying to get a bit of temperature, wasn’t he? And a bit too much torque application. He’s crying his eyes out, I suspect. It’s a lifelong commitment – you’ve done karting, junior racing, the family sacrifices. He’s [finally] a Formula 1 driver and, boom, he’s had a very silly mistake.

“I think the left rear was on the white line and it just snapped on him. His eyes are wide open because he can see the barriers coming up. He just lit the back up on the white line and that shows you just how greasy it is out there.”

It was not the only incident that marred the start of the new F1 season. When the Melbourne race finally did get under way, after a delay of around 15 minutes, the safety car was called out on the very first lap as Jack Doohan lost control and smashed up his Alpine.

The Aussie’s crash sparked a chorus of groans from the locals in the grandstands as they realised that it was one of their own who was out of the race. And he was not the only one, as Carlos Sainz span behind the safety car and crashed in his first race for Williams, blaming an unusual surge of torque from his engine as he spoke over the radio.

Those two accidents came a few corners into the race as, despite the treacherous conditions, everyone made it through turn one without incident. Lando Norris had kept his lead having started from pole position, though team-mate Oscar Piastri was unable to hold off the challenge from Max Verstappen behind and dropped to third place behind the Dutchman.