What Anthony Hamilton said to Hajjar to comfort him

      In the official final report of the FIA, released after the Australian Grand Prix, Isaac Hajjar's name is on the very last line of the Not Classified section, i.e. "not classified", then we see 0 laps and the abbreviation DNF – "did not finish".

      The protocol information reflects the trouble that happened to the Racing Bulls debutant, only from a statistical point of view, but behind this line there is a whole story that has not only a sporting, but also a human side.

      Everyone who watched yesterday's race saw that Hajjar crashed the car already on the warm-up lap, losing control of it on the rain-soaked asphalt of Albert Park. At the same time, the day before he showed a decent 11th result in qualifying, becoming the best of the newcomers, and he was just a little short of reaching the final session.

      But on Sunday, Isaac became the first (though by no means the last) victim of the difficult weather conditions in which the Australian race took place: car No. 6 spun around in turn 2 of the track, the rear wing and suspension were broken, and that was the end of Hajjar's participation in yesterday's Grand Prix.

      But this story did not end. It was obvious that the French racer was very upset, couldn't hold back the tears, and it can be understood. He dreamed of Formula 1 all his life, worked long and hard to get into this championship, and when the dream came true, in his debut race he could not even reach the starting field.

      When he returned to the paddock, Anthony Hamilton, the father of the seven-time world champion, was one of the first people to meet him there. This touching episode was broadcast live from Albert Park, and then Hamilton Sr. commented on it separately.

      "When I saw what happened, my heart skipped a beat, and I just felt sorry for the guy,– Anthony said. – Not only him, but also his parents, because they had to make great efforts, do a lot to wait for Isaac's debut – and lost the opportunity to see it.

      I just felt terribly sorry for him, and I thought I should tell the guy to hold his head up high, not hunch over, because he'll definitely get back at me. I really think he's a phenomenally talented racer. Isaac will show us all what he is capable of."

      And here's what the French driver himself said when asked about his conversation with Anthony Hamilton: "I think he knows what difficult times are. And then he saw a rookie crashing into a barrier, even though the race hadn't even started yet – I think he knows how much it hurts. And then he came over to comfort me, and it was a very nice gesture on his part. After all, I was really upset, I was very uncomfortable in front of our team.

      I usually try to act in a measured manner, step by step, and before the start I wanted to do as much work as possible with the rubber on the exit lap. At the beginning of the lap, I had to warm up the tires, but I overdid it. I made a very small mistake, but there was no way to catch the car. I just turned into a passenger and got terribly upset."

      Hajjar will have the opportunity to improve in less than a week, because the Chinese Grand Prix will be held next weekend.