Red Bull Rising Star Opens Up on Moment His ‘World Fell Apart’ After Emotional Hamilton Encounter
Red Bull’s newest Formula 1 sensation, Isack Hadjar, has delivered a brutally honest reflection on the most painful moment of his young career—one that left him feeling as though his “entire world collapsed” before it had even begun.
The 21-year-old Frenchman’s Formula 1 debut at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix last year was supposed to mark the realization of a lifelong dream. Instead, it quickly turned into a nightmare. Hadjar never even reached the starting grid after losing control of his car on the formation lap, crashing out before the race officially began.
For a rookie making his first appearance on the sport’s biggest stage, the humiliation was overwhelming. Cameras captured Hadjar walking slowly back through the paddock, helmet still on, shoulders slumped. Even without seeing his face, the emotion was unmistakable. He was in tears.
In what would become one of the most human moments of the season, Hadjar unexpectedly crossed paths with Anthony Hamilton—father and former manager of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, and a man Hadjar had idolized since childhood. Sensing the young driver’s devastation, Hamilton stopped him, embraced him, and offered words of comfort that would prove far more powerful than anyone could have imagined.
Nearly a year later, Hadjar has revealed just how deeply that moment affected him.
Speaking on the Talking Bull podcast, the Red Bull driver admitted that the crash and its aftermath left him emotionally shattered. “For me, my world collapsed that day,” he said candidly. “Inside the car, the emotions were extremely high.”
Hadjar explained that unlike many other sports, Formula 1 offers little time to dwell on failure. “This is a sport where you don’t have six months to think about what went wrong,” he said. “You get back in the car just a few days later, and that’s when I saw my opportunity.”
Rather than allowing the incident to define him, Hadjar chose to confront it head-on. He acknowledged the pain that followed but used it as fuel. “I knew I was going to have five very painful days thinking about that mistake,” he admitted. “But I also knew I’d get another chance to prove myself.”
That chance came almost immediately at the Chinese Grand Prix. In a remarkable turnaround, Hadjar delivered his strongest qualifying performance of the season, lining up seventh on the grid—an extraordinary response for a driver still reeling from his debut disappointment. He narrowly missed out on points in the race, finishing 11th, but the message was clear: the crash in Melbourne had not broken him.
Momentum continued to build the following weekend in Japan, where Hadjar claimed his first points in Formula 1 with an impressive eighth-place finish at Suzuka. From that moment on, his trajectory changed dramatically.
The defining performance of his breakthrough campaign arrived later in the year at the Dutch Grand Prix. Racing on one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar, Hadjar stunned the paddock by securing a sensational third-place finish—sharing the podium with none other than Max Verstappen. That result, widely regarded as a turning point, effectively sealed his future within the Red Bull family.
Now, as the 2026 season approaches, Hadjar finds himself promoted to one of the most coveted and pressured seats in Formula 1. Following Yuki Tsunoda’s inability to consistently deliver in Red Bull’s second car, the team placed its faith in the young Frenchman, elevating him to race alongside four-time world champion Verstappen.
Looking back, Hadjar believes the emotional support he received after his Melbourne heartbreak played a crucial role in shaping his resilience. The embrace from Anthony Hamilton, coming at his lowest moment, remains etched in his memory—not as a symbol of failure, but of survival.
From tears in the paddock to podium celebrations, Hadjar’s journey over the past year has been nothing short of extraordinary. As he prepares to return to Albert Park—this time as a Red Bull race driver rather than a shaken rookie—he does so with scars, strength, and a renewed belief that even the darkest moments can become the foundation for greatness.
One year on, the world that once collapsed has been rebuilt—stronger than ever.
