Lessons from Formula 1 courtesy of Helmut Marko and Isack Hadjar

The timing doesn’t coincide with for RU OK day and various similar initiatives, but events happen when they happen.

The Formula 1 season started last weekend in Melbourne and on the grid was rookie driver Isack Hadjar, dropped in for 2025 to drive for the VCARB team, Red Bull Racing’s junior outfit. RBR is notoriously tough on (most) drivers, expecting near-perfect performance almost immediately.

Formula 1 races start by assembling all the cars on the grid some half an hour before race start. This is just theatre; a chance for all the celebs to parade around, Martin Brundle to be snubbed, me to spot obscure drivers from the ’80s and only to be told that someone famous like Taylor Swift is now in shot. The melee of people is then cleared and the drivers depart on their formation lap in grid order which ends in the cars lined up again on the grid for a few moments, after which the five red lights go out and the race starts.

During the formation lap drivers run a number of checks on their car and pre-start activities, one of which is controlled wheelspin burnouts to bring the tyres up to their operating temperature as the cars near their grid slots. F1 tyres do not work when cold. The number and duration of burnouts are calculated by the engineers and the driver is told what has to be done.

The race this year was wet, but tyres still had to be warmed and brakes brought up to temperature. That starts with some weaving and accelerating soon as the cars move off. So young Isack had some work to do, but he chose the wrong place to do it – around a corner, and with limited runoff. Looking at the replay he may even not have given it enough throttle to break traction initially, then had to feed more in by which time you’re going pretty fast.

The net result of all that was the car swapped ends on him, and in the wet that’s a double problem. First, the water means there’s no real traction once the back end steps out so it’s very hard to snap the car back into line, “unsaveable” as Brundle put it, unlike dry conditions. Second, once spun, you don’t come to a stop easily on the bitumen, or on wet grass.

And so Hadjar found himself rotated and sliding towards the barriers. The crash into the side of the Turn 2 armco was assured and the rear wing was broken.

Hadjar was out of the race mere seconds after it had started, not even making the first racing lap.

You can imagine how he felt. We’ve all made mistakes, but to do it then, in front of millions…absolute nightmare. And it’s not just himself he’s thinking about – all the people who worked to put that car on the grid, all his supporters over the years, his future career and he’s thrown it away in the second corner of the formation lap. Not when fighting for a win under intense pressure, but in the simplest possible circumstances seconds into his first race – it’s the circumstances of the mistake that mattered, not the mistake.

It was clear how Hadjar felt as he did the walk back from his broken car to the paddock. I’ve rarely seen such a dejected figure in racing. He also kept his helmet on which is a sure sign that emotions were running high. And he had to do that walk with several live TV cameras trained on him as he walked.

I’ll jump ahead a moment to his inevitable press conference. He did not blame the conditions, his car, draw attention to the fact many others crashed. He took responsibility for the crash himself.

Now back to his trudge to the team garage. As Hadjar walked back, a man called Anthony Hamilton stepped into his path. That would be Lewis Hamilton’s father. Anthony bear-hugged Hadjar, put his arm around him and walked with him a while.

We don’t know what was said, and don’t need to, but I suspect it might have been something about others who had done the same such as 13-time race winner David Coulthard. Or maybe reiterating Anthony’s previously-stated admiration.

Thing is, Anthony is not even associated with the VCARB team, he’s on Team Ferrari now supporting his son. But he extended support anyway.

Then we come to the contrast.

Helmut Marko is Red Bull’s driver selection consultant, or something, and as such has a huge influence over Hadjar’s career. Here’s what he said:

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

Remember, that’s from someone on the same team, effectively, and in a position of direct authority over the driver. Not just a disconnected commentator. And it is from someone who is enabled by the team he works for, even if when it suits to distance themselves they say he’s a consultant so not really part of the team. In these situations, it’s wise to look at the surrounding culture not just the actual words.

So let’s break this down because there’s a lesson for us all, particularly middle-aged males which is the bulk of my audience.

Did you know 76% of suicides are men? Ever wonder why? Research indicates one reason is repressed emotion, feeling unable to show sadness, vulnerability, disappointment. This is the old-school ‘harden up’, ‘man up’ school of thinking. It’s said that the only emotion men are allowed to show in extreme is anger, and the only emotion women aren’t allowed to show in extreme is also anger. That’s not healthy.

So the implication of what Helmut is saying is bottle it up, don’t show your disappointment, pretend all is well. It’s literally advice to destroy mental health. That’s what we did in the ’80s, now we know better.

Anthony Hamilton’s response was the correct one. Empathy, understanding, help him get over it and move on.

What was embarrassing was Hadjar’s driving error, which explains his reaction. His emotions afterwards were not embarrassing, they were human and appropriate. Nobody in his situation would be anything other than, to use an Australianism, gutted.

Marko’s comments are beyond embarrassing, they’re actively harmful directly to Hadjar, and given his position, also serve as an worldwide example for others so the damage will be multiplied.

Remember this for RU OK day.

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