‘I felt for him like a father’ – Anthony Hamilton reveals what he said to Hadjar in heartfelt embrace

Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony Hamilton has revealed why he rushed to greet Isack Hadjar in the paddock following the Racing Bulls rookie’s formation lap shunt at the Australian Grand Prix.

Hadjar had enjoyed a strong start to his F1 career, positioning himself as the fastest rookie driver in both of the first two free practice sessions and cementing his pace in Qualifying – securing 11th on the grid while narrowly missing out on a Q3 spot.

READ MORE: Hadjar, Doohan and Sainz all crash out after less than a lap as Australian Grand Prix gets off to dramatic start

But this was quickly overshadowed in treacherous conditions on Sunday, when he lost control of his car on at Turn 2 on the formation lap and spun into the barriers. In the final classifications, this resulted in a Did Not Start notice next to his name.

While his car was being recovered, Hadjar could be seen to be visibly upset and emotional behind the barriers.

Seeing these pictures, Hamilton made his way through the paddock and, with Hadjar en route back to the Racing Bulls hospitality, the pair embraced in a heart-warming moment – Hamilton having shared emotional moments of triumph and upset with son Lewis across the years.

“The thing is, as soon as I saw what happened to Isack, my heart fell and I just felt for him,” Hamilton told Canal+. “It was just so sad to see, because I know how hard it is when these kids are eight years of age and they dream of becoming a Formula 1 race driver.

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“There’s a lot of pressure all of the way up and you’re sitting on the grid for your first race and it doesn’t happen. That’s got to be the worst feeling in the world and I just felt for him.

“I just wanted to give him a hug. I felt for him like a father.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Hamilton also added: “I just felt terrible for him so thought ‘You know what, I just need to go and tell this kid to keep your head high, walk tall. You’re going to come back’.

“I think he’s a phenomenal driver, I really do. There’s more to come from Isack than we probably have seen this weekend.”

Last year, Hadjar missed out on a chance to take the F2 title when he stalled on the grid of the season finale, essentially crowning now-Kick Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto as champion immediately.

READ MORE: What the teams said – Race day in Australia

Speaking at the F1 75 Live season launch event in London, Hadjar had indicated that this had been put firmly behind him, with the chance of racing in F1 meaning far more to him than the junior title.

With the Chinese Grand Prix next up, Hadjar will want to put what happened in Melbourne behind him as quickly as possible and show what he can do in F1.