THE FORMULA ONE season opener in Australia was hit by chaos before the race even started as rookie Isack Hadjar spun out on the formation lap.
The 20-year-old, making his F1 debut for Racing Bulls this weekend, burst into tears after spinning out on his way to the grid as he struggled for grip.
ABORTED START! ❌
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 16, 2025
Isack Hadjar crashes on the formation lap 😟 pic.twitter.com/6I9ODvOUG9
GettyThe F1 Australia Grand Prix saw its start delayed after Isack Hadjar crashed on the formation lap[/caption]
APRookie Hadjar’s crash caused a 15-minute delay to the start time[/caption]
GettyHe burst into tears after the stunning crash[/caption]
Sky Sports F1
A beautiful moment between Anthony Hamilton and Isack Hadjar as he comforts the rookie after his crash ❤️ pic.twitter.com/y3EhLDfsW5
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 16, 2025
Hadjar ended up spinning and binning his car into the wall, seeing his raceday end before it had even begun after a strong qualifying session on Saturday which had seen him place P11.
The French-Algerian racer was visibly distraught and burst into tears on his way back to the pitlane.
Hadjar, who is known to be a Lewis Hamilton superfan, was consoled by the Ferrari driver’s dad following the unfortunate incident.
The crash caused a race start delay of 15 minutes after an aborted start.
When the Albert Park race did eventually get underway, two more drivers crashed out early on.
Alpine rookie and home star Jack Doohan spun out at Turn 6 before crashing heavily into the wall and bringing the safety car out.
Last year’s race winner, Carlos Sainz, then spun out under the safety car to see three cars out of the race before a full lap had been completed under green flag conditions.
The tricky wet conditions meant a full racing lap was not completed until lap nine of the Grand Prix.
There were early pitstops from three stars; Oliver Bearman, Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon, as they changed to a new set of intermediate tyres.
Max Verstappen enjoyed a strong start in the race as he overtook Oscar Piastri and brought himself right up on the heels of race leader Lando Norris, but was unable to make a move before Piastri took the position back.
Meanwhile, Hamilton – making his debut for his new team – had a more low-key start by remaining P8.
F1 Australia results
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
6. Alex Albon (Williams)
7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
8. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
10. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
11. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
12. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
14. Jack Doohan (Alpine)
15. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
16. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
17. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
18. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
19. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
20. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
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