Anthony Hamilton: I felt for Hadjar like a father

Hadjar had been impressive in his F1 debut in Melbourne, just missing out on Q3 in qualifying, until he crashed out on the formation lap, his race ending before it even started.

Hadjar was visibly devastated after his crash, and the fact that he was starting from 11th would've made it more painful, as points on debut would've been a realistic outcome.

The Racing Bulls driver's story grabbed the headline when Anthony Hamilton leaped to his support, walking him back to the hospitality area, giving him some words of support during his ordeal.

Anthony must have had a lot of these moments with son Lewis as he managed him from his karting days up to F1, after which he went on to rewrite history, bagging seven titles with 105 grand prix wins.

Explaining what he did, Hamilton Sr. said: "The thing is, as soon as I saw what happened to Isack, my heart fell, and I just felt for him.

"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.

"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," Anthony Hamilton maintained, before adding: "I just felt terrible for him, so [I] 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," Anthony concluded.

(Quotes from Canal+ and Sky Sports F1)