Not for the first time in recent years, Helmut Marko is under the spotlight for incredibly distasteful remarks after the Australian GP about one of his F1 drivers, whether they are at Racing Bulls or Red Bull Racing and this time it was Isack Hadjar in the firing line.
Before discussing that, let’s take a look at a couple of previous examples of his behaviour.
Disparging comments about Sergio Pérez
In 2023, Sergio Pérez was on a difficult run of form in qualifying, struggling to start high up the grid, and even getting bumped out in the second segment of qualifying on a few occasions as Max Verstappen cantered to the championship in the other RB19. The now 35-year-old would go on to finish P2 in the standings nonetheless.
After the Italian Grand Prix, Marko came out with some appalling remarks, saying Pérez cannot concentrate or be as focused as Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel because of where he is from.
“We know that he has problems in qualifying, he has fluctuations in form, he is South American and he is just not as completely focused in his head as Max [Verstappen] is or as Sebastian [Vettel].”
Aside from getting the continent wrong considering Mexico is located in North America, many believed the Austrian was racist and xenophobic in the remarks he used. It was completely unacceptable and out of line.
Such was the deserved backlash, he actually apologised on this occasion.
“I would like to apologise for my offensive remark and want to make it absolutely clear that I do not believe that we can generalise about the people from any country, any race, any ethnicity.
“I was trying to make a point that Checo [Pérez] has fluctuated in his performance this year, but it was wrong to attribute this to his cultural heritage.”
Some puzzling comments about Yuki Tsunoda
At one stage in 2022, Helmut Marko called Yuki Tsunoda a problem child.
Since the Japanese driver made his debut at AlphaTauri in 2021, the Austrian has been very inconsistent in his comments regarding the 24-year-old. One week he can criticise him for various things, the next he is praising him for his performance.
After Red Bull Racing decided to promote Liam Lawson over Tsunoda once they decided on removing Sergio Pérez, the 81-year-old talked about emotions as a factor in the decision.
While Tsunoda has been fiery on the radio, it’s no different to Max Verstappen showing his frustration and anger over it to his engineer GP, the stewards, and other drivers at times. It has been a case of double standards for the former Austrian racing driver.
Isack Hadjar the latest on the list of unacceptable comments from Helmut Marko
“Isack Hadjar did a little bit of crying after his crash. That was a bit embarrassing,” the words of Helmut Marko to ORF after the F1 Australian GP.
On the formation lap on Sunday afternoon, Hadjar lost his car out of turn 1 as he looked to warm up his tyres. The rear let go and he ended up in the wall. Unfortunately for the French driver, the rear wing was terminally damaged and he never took the start.
Behind the barriers, Hadjar was in tears as he was consoled by a marshal. The 20-year-old was understandably emotional and distraught. It was reminiscent of Mika Häkkinen crying behind bushes at Monza in 1999 when he spun out of the lead.
The class act that is Anthony Hamilton
On his return to the paddock, Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony, consoled him. It was a beautiful moment of humanity from a great man.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 about it later, Hamilton Sr. revealed what he told the youngster: “When I saw it happen, my heart just sank for him.
“Not just for him, for his parents, for everything they’ve done to work hard to get to this one point, and it’s like it’s snatched from you.
“I just felt terrible for him, so I thought ‘you know what, I need to go and tell this kid keep your head high, walk tall, you’re gonna come back’.
“I think he’s a phenomenal driver, and I think there’s more to come from Isack than we probably have seen this weekend.”
Why there is nothing wrong with showing emotions
The French-Algerian driver has been on a journey of over a decade to fulfill his dream of racing in Formula One. When your Grand Prix debut is literally a couple of minutes away and you crash out on the formation lap, feeling heartbroken and devastated is a natural reaction for many.
If anything, Hadjar should be applauded and respected for his reaction. Sports brings the highest of highest, and the lowest of lows. It means everything to him.
Showing vulnerability is not a weakness at all. It’s a reminder that these drivers are human like the rest of us. Marko needs to realise we are in 2025, not 1975.
Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton open up
Current F1 Drivers’ Championship leader Lando Norris has been very open about his mental health struggles in recent years. While the culture in many sports is still to act the hard guy and tough it out, the Brit’s honesty about what has been going on inside his brain has been refreshing. He should also be applauded for that.
As well as his extraordinary success on track, F1’s most successful ever driver Lewis Hamilton has been a champion off track. The British driver is involved in projects as he looks to make the sport a more inclusive place for everyone, no matter their nationality or background.
However for this piece, the 105-time race winner must be lauded for his openness about going through depression after getting bullied in his younger days.
“When I was in my 20s, I had some really difficult phases. I mean, I’ve struggled with mental health through my life. [I’ve had] depression. From a very early age, when I was, like, 13. I think it was the pressure of the racing and struggling at school. The bullying. I had no one to talk to.”
Have some empathy
The latest crass comment from Helmut Marko shows how far Formula 1 and other sports have to go before understanding how fragile mental health can be and the fact many humans are emotional, whether it’s drivers, team personnel, or fans watching on from home.
Let these drivers open up. It can help them and many people watching on. It will save lives, as Lando Norris has mentioned previously when he got messages from fans about his honesty. Talking about your problems or crying is a good thing and is healthy if you need to do it.
In a world where lots of people live in the stone age in regards to emotions and mental health like Helmut Marko, be kind and considerate like Anthony Hamilton when you see someone struggling.
Isack Hadjar showing his emotions at the F1 Australian GP was anything but “embarrassing”; the comment from Helmut Marko certainly was.
