Isack Hadjar had been having a strong debut weekend at the Australian Grand Prix. He looked quick in practice, regularly running in the top ten, and came close to reaching Q3 in Saturday’s qualifying. Starting from 11th on the grid, he had set himself up well for his first-ever Formula 1 race.

But on Sunday, heavy rain made the Albert Park Circuit tricky to handle, turning the race into a real challenge. Unfortunately for Hadjar, his first race ended before it even started.

During the formation lap, Hadjar lost control of his VCARB 02 at Turn 2. As he accelerated, his car hit the slippery white lines on the street circuit, causing him to spin out and crash into the barriers. The impact damaged his car so badly that he couldn’t start the race. It was a heartbreaking moment for the 20-year-old, who was seen keeping his helmet on to hide his emotions as he returned to the paddock.

Among those who supported him was Anthony Hamilton, father of Lewis Hamilton, the driver Hadjar has looked up to since childhood. Hamilton Sr. could relate to the struggles of young drivers trying to make it in F1 and felt the need to comfort Hadjar.

“When I saw it happen, my heart just sank for him,” he told Sky Sports F1.

“Not just for him, but for his parents and everything they’ve done to get him to this moment. It felt like it was snatched away from him. I just felt terrible for him, so I thought, you know what, I need to go and tell this kid: ‘Keep your head high, walk tall, you’re going to come back.’ I think he’s a phenomenal driver, I really do.”

Hadjar himself admitted he felt terrible about the crash, not because of his emotions, but because he was simply frustrated by his mistake.

“I feel embarrassed today, and I can only learn from my mistake and apologise to the team,” he said. “The conditions were tricky, and from the installation laps, I felt very low grip and poor confidence. On the formation lap, I tried to prepare the tyres as much as I could, but unfortunately, I had a spin and the car was unsavable; I just felt like a passenger before hitting the wall.”

However, not everyone was sympathetic. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was unimpressed by Hadjar’s emotional reaction.

“Isack Hadjar did a little bit of crying after his crash,” Marko told ORF. “That was a bit embarrassing.”

Despite the disappointment, Hadjar had a strong weekend overall. He showed good pace throughout practice and came close to reaching Q3 in qualifying. Now, he’ll need to put this setback behind him and focus on making the most of his next chance in F1.