“My heart sank for him and his parents”: Lewis Hamilton’s dad gives honest verdict on watching Isack Hadjar’s formation lap crash in Australia
Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony Hamilton, has shared his thoughts on witnessing Isack Hadjar’s heartbreak following his incident at the Australian Grand Prix. The 20-year-old suffered a crash on the formation lap of his much-anticipated F1 debut, leaving him visibly devastated.
The Racing Bulls driver, who had entered the Albert Park race as the highest-qualifying rookie on the grid, saw his debut come to an abrupt and disappointing end after completing just a few corners. Overcome with emotion, the young French driver was reduced to tears as he exited his beached car and headed to the medical center for checks.
As Hadjar made the painful walk down the paddock, passing through what appeared to be a sea of onlookers, Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony was quick to approach and comfort him.
Speaking after the race in an interview with Sky Sports F1, the 65-year-old explained that his reaction was driven by deep compassion for Hadjar and his family. Anthony Hamilton said:
“When I saw it happen, my heart just sank for him—not just for him, but for his parents, for everything that they have done, all the hard work to get to this one point, 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 and tell this kid: keep your head high, walk tall, you’re going to come back.”
Further speaking on Hadjar’s ability, he added:
“I think he is a phenomenal driver, you know. I really do. I think there is more to come from Isack than we probably have seen this weekend.”
It is not the first time the father of the Ferrari driver has been involved in offering emotional support to F1 drivers. The 65-year-old played a key support role for Sergio Perez during his early years in Formula One.
Lewis Hamilton speaks on his Australian Grand Prix race
Lewis Hamilton reflected on his outing with Scuderia Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix. The 40-year-old, who had entered the race weekend with a sense of optimism, could only manage a 10th-place finish on his debut with the ‘Prancing Horse.’
The former Mercedes AMG driver, who had qualified in eighth place for the race, at one point appeared to be gaining positions on the grid when the rain, which had largely affected the race, seemed to have subsided. However, Hamilton saw his hard work in overtaking several drivers undone by a rather ‘reckless’ strategy call made by the Ferrari team.
Speaking to the media, Lewis Hamilton said (as quoted by BBC Sport):
"It felt like I was in the deep, deep end. I'm grateful I got through it, came out of it with a little bit of something, at least one point. Obviously, I didn't go off or spin. Lacking pace, for sure, but I do believe the car has more performance than we were able to extract this weekend."
"But then it pelted down just in the last two laps or something—it was coming down—and that's the moment we probably should have come in. In that moment, I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm third.' I was leading for a second. But I mean, yeah, I don't know if we had anywhere near the pace the McLarens had today. But I do think in the actual car, there is a lot more performance—I just don't think we unlocked it this week," Lewis Hamilton said.
The 2025 Australian Grand Prix was eventually won by McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen claiming second place and Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate, George Russell, securing third.