F1 rookie Isack Hadjar has to bounce back after a brutal moment at the Australian Grand Prix
Going to the next play.
Turning the page.
Moving on to Cincinnati.
Being a goldfish.
Those euphemisms, real or fictional, encapsulate one of the most challenging aspects of sports: Moving on from failure. Putting a mistake, an interception, an error, a soft goal, a fumble, or an accident in the past and finding a way to perform better the next chance you get.
That is the challenge facing Formula 1 driver Isack Hadjar as he looks ahead to the Chinese Grand Prix.
The rookie was slated for his first Formula 1 race, Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, but did not reach the starting grid. Hadjar spun in wet conditions on the formation lap and slid off the racing line, his VCARB02 backing into the barrier and suffering damage to the rear wing. His F1 debut was over before it began.
Hadjar was, as you might expect, despondent once he climbed out of his car. First alongside a race marshall, and then later as he made the long walk from the track to the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls hospitality space at Albert Park. Along the way a pair of senior figures in the sport — Anthony Hamilton (Lewis’ father) and F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali — spent time with the young driver, trying to console him after a difficult moment.
Ultimately, Hadjar made his way to VCARB’s pit wall, where he was enthusiastically greeted by team members with hugs, handshakes, and high-fives.
After the race, the rookie admitted he was “embarrassed” by his spin on the formation lap.
“I feel embarrassed today, and I can only learn from my mistake and apologize to the team,” said Hadjar in VCARB’s post-race report. “There were tricky conditions out there, and from the installation laps, I felt very low grip and poor confidence.
“In the formation lap, I tried to prepare the tires 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. Now I look ahead to be ready to race in China next week.”
Team Principal Laurent Mekies stated that Hadjar would “learn” from the incident, and that the team would be there to support him heading into next weekend.
“As for Isack, he will learn from this and turn his frustration into good energy for the next race,” said Mekies. “We will be here to support him over the next few days before Shanghai and not let this cloud all the positives we can take from this weekend.”
The young driver also talked about the support from Hamilton and Domenicali.
“It means a lot knowing that [Anthony Hamilton] knew where I was, how bad I felt, to go and see me in the worst moment ever,” said Hadjar. “I think it’s nice just from him. I really appreciate that.
“Stefano came into my driver’s room and said similar things [to Hamilton],” revealed Hadjar. “It’s nice to feel the support from them. It’s nice, just nice.”
The harsh reality of sports, much like life, is that failure is all around you. The old baseball phrase of “you can fail seven out of ten times and make the Hall of Fame” is passed down through generations, but stands for the proposition that in sports you are going to fail as an athlete, but what separates the great ones from the good ones is the ability to move on, leave mistakes in the past, learn from errors, and perform better the next time out.
But it is never easy, and never automatic.
Thankfully for Hadjar, he will be back in the car before he knows it, and that should help him turn the page.
