There couldn’t have been a worse debut for Isack Hadjar in Formula 1 than at the Australian Grand Prix, with the young Racing Bulls driver ending his race even before it started. During the early stages of the reconnaissance lap, the 20-year-old lost control of his car, hitting the barriers and having to retire due to damage sustained to the car. A knockout as immediate as it was emotional, with the young debutant bursting into tears after getting out of the car.
Anthony and Lewis Hamilton
Back in the paddock, Isack Hadjar was consoled by Anthony Hamilton, Lewis’ father. It was a touching moment that the Frenchman reflected on more calmly during the pre-GP press conference in China, adding more details: “He told me that it reminded him of Lewis when he parked the car at the entrance of the pit lane in Shanghai – he explained, referring to Lewis Hamilton’s mistake during the 2007 Chinese GP, which was crucial to his loss in the world championship – it was a nice moment, spending time with someone like Anthony, my idol’s father. It was really special. Lewis sent me a message later that day, so they’re truly classy people.”
Back on track
Now, it’s time for Isack Hadjar to forget Melbourne and focus on Shanghai, which will coincide with the first Sprint weekend of the 2025 season, and he has positive feelings about the VCARB 02: “I’d say that by Monday I already felt much better, especially knowing that it’s a back-to-back weekend, so it’s nice to get back pretty quickly rather than having a month to dwell on it,” he added. “We were surprisingly fast, more than we expected. Looking at the Bahrain tests, it’s hard to really know where you stand in the midfield, you don’t know how much everyone is hiding or not, but heading to Melbourne, the car was really good, and from FP1 I think I had a really nice feel with the car. I was pretty comfortable, and I was very close to Yuki (Tsunoda), so I think there were many positive aspects performance-wise.” – he pointed out.
Shanghai, a novelty
For Isack Hadjar, however, the Shanghai circuit is a completely new experience, although the Frenchman has had the chance to study it in simulator sessions: “In terms of approach, I’d say I’m pretty used to this; for the past three years, this is what I’ve done in Formula 2 and Formula 3, with the FP and directly into qualifying with only a few laps of pushing. I know the approach, I know how to do it well, but obviously, I’d prefer to have three practice sessions.” – the Racing Bulls driver concluded ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
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