New Red Bull signing Isack Hadjar has said his bounce back from devastation at crashing out of his debut race proved a key strength.<\/p>\n
The French driver crashed out on the formation lap at the Australian Grand Prix, meaning he didn\u2019t get to take the start of his debut race in Formula 1.<\/p>\n
Isack Hadjar: Australia crash \u2018part of my history\u2019<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a>\u00a0for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Making his debut in Formula 1 at the start of the 2025 season, Hadjar had qualified an impressive 11th for the calendar-opener in Melbourne.<\/p>\n But attempting to warm up his tyres in tricky wet conditions at the Albert Park circuit, Hadjar lost control of the rear of his Racing Bulls machine exiting Turn 1.<\/p>\n Spinning off backwards into the barriers, he damaged his car to the point where he could not continue and, as a result, failed to make the start of his debut race.<\/p>\n Having spent the winter building up to such a momentous occasion, the enormity of his error hit hard, and a disconsolate Hadjar was visibly emotional as he returned to the paddock, with Lewis Hamilton\u2019s father, Anthony, making a point of seeking him out to comfort him.<\/p>\n While Hadjar\u2019s emotional response didn\u2019t impress then-Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, the rest of his season did.<\/p>\n Hadjar bounced back strongly to become a regular points scorer and even secured a maiden podium at the Dutch Grand Prix by finishing third at Zandvoort.<\/p>\n So impressive was Hadjar\u2019s season that, with Yuki Tsunoda struggling in the RB21, Red Bull opted to turn to the French driver and promote him from Racing Bulls<\/a> into the seat alongside Max Verstappen for the F1 2026 championship.<\/p>\n Australia may now be a distant memory, but Hadjar said that day at Albert Park did go a long way towards proving his own mental fortitude.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but you can also look at maybe I would have scored points in Melbourne and then have a good season after that, too, you know?\u201d he told PlanetF1.com and select media, after the news of his promotion to the senior team, when asked if getting the low of Australia out of the way early had actually been beneficial.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I believe everything happens for a reason, and you move on.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s part of my history, my first F1 start, I didn\u2019t take part in it, which sucks still, but it\u2019s how it is.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just proved to me\u2026 I know I have a strong ability to get back up to my feet, but this was just another big punch in the face, and I took it.<\/p>\n \u201cI handled it very well, and it reinforced this belief I have in myself.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Isack Hadjar<\/p>\n Why accepting Max Verstappen superiority is key to Isack Hadjar success at Red Bull<\/a><\/p>\n