Early retirement

Helmut Marko: Tearful show “a bit embarrassing”

For Helmut Marko, rookie Isack Hadjar's tearful performance was "a bit embarrassing".(Bild: Krone KREATIV/GEPA pictures, ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Formula 1 rookie Isack Hadjar "put on a tearful show" after his early retirement on the warm-up lap, said Helmut Marko on ORF and grinned: "It was a bit embarrassing".

First race, first retirement - and already on the warm-up lap. It couldn't have come at a worse time for Formula 1 rookie Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls. "Those were certainly the worst moments of my life," said Hadjar and burst into tears afterwards. For Red Bull's motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, the "tearful show was a bit embarrassing", as he said on ORF after the race.

Hamilton's father comforts Frenchman: "This means a lot to me"
The young Frenchman himself described the way back to the pits as a "walk of shame" - but Hadjar found a comforting arm in Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony. "That means a lot to me. He knew exactly how I was feeling, how down I was, and came to me at my worst moment," the 20-year-old told Sky.

Hadjar had shown well in the first training sessions and in qualifying. After all, he finished eleventh in qualifying. Racing Bulls team boss Laurent Mekies had already said on Friday that Hadjar had done "a good job", especially as he had only had "one day of testing in Bahrain" beforehand.

There were no points for the team in the first race of the season, as Yuki Tsunoda finished no higher than 12th. Things can almost only get better at the next race weekend, the Chinese Grand Prix ...