Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has expressed his disapproval of Isack Hadjar’s reaction to his truncated debut race. The rookie didn’t make it past the formation lap during the Australian Grand Prix and was visibly emotional after his crash. The French-Algerian driver, having ended up in the wall, was unable to start his debut race. Marko labels Hadjar’s tears in the paddock as ’embarrassing’.
Isack Hadjar’s Formula 1 debut was over before the race had properly begun. The French-Algerian driver didn’t make it past the formation lap when he lost control of the steering wheel on the rain-soaked track and crashed his Racing Bulls car into the wall. Young Hadjar visibly struggled with his shortened first Formula 1 race, shedding tears in the paddock afterwards.
In the paddock, Hadjar was comforted by Anthony Hamilton, the father of Lewis Hamilton. “When I saw it happen, I felt so sorry for him,” Hamilton senior tells Sky Sports. “I thought it was really terrible for him, so I thought: ‘I’ll go over to him and tell him to keep his head up, to keep going, you’ll come back.’ I think he’s a very good driver. Better times are certainly coming for Isack than what we’ve seen this weekend.”
‘Embarrassing’
Not everyone had comforting words for the 20-year-old rookie. Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor and head of the Red Bull junior program, did not appreciate Hadjar’s emotions. “Isack Hadjar shed a few tears after his crash. That was a bit embarrassing.””The 81-year-old Austrian’s reaction did not go down well in the rest of the paddock. “There is absolutely no place for this attitude in the sport,” responds F1TV figurehead Laura Winter via Instagram. “A young driver expressing his emotions, especially in the heat of battle, is never embarrassing.”
Anthony Hamilton, father of Lewis Hamilton, offers Isack Hadjar support after the premature end of his debut race.”
