Support From an Unlikely Source

We all need encouragement - sometimes from the least likely of people.

Outside of football and hockey, I don’t watch much television. Sure, I’ll binge things like Only Murders in the Building, rewatch the greatness that is Mad Men, and fall asleep to Law & Order reruns that I’ve seen 527 times, but I generally prefer music for entertainment. One exception I do make, however, is watching Formula 1 (F1).

During the pandemic, when we were all binging things we had never imagined (I’m looking at you, Tiger King), my wife and I watched Drive to Survive on Netflix. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a documentary series that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the drives in F1. We fell in love with both the show and the sport, and now we find ourselves glued to the TV 24 Sundays a year watching races.

Like any sport, the star players change teams. As it relates to F1, Lewis Hamilton dramatically left Mercedes for Ferrari after 12 years and a record seven world championships. His debut in that famous red livery was highly anticipated for the first race in Melbourne, Australia, on March 16, 2025. Adding to the anticipation of the first round was that of the 20 drivers, a whopping six were rookies. As we settled in with our coffee and blankets, we knew that the race had a high probability of being quite rowdy.

Formula 1 might be the most pressure-packed sport around:

• Physical – Drivers experience severe G-forces during acceleration, braking, and cornering, which requires exceptional strength and endurance.

• Performance – The F1 grid is filled with the best drivers in the world, and each of them is under continual pressure to perform for their teams (and sponsors) that invest so heavily in them.

• Competition – Every driver is constantly under scrutiny and faces the possibility of losing their seat as evidenced by rookie Liam Lawson losing his seat at Red Bull after only two races.

As the drivers pulled away from the start/finish line to begin the formation lap – a lap designed to get all the cars into position for the beginning of the race – Sandy and I watched in anticipation as we had been waiting since November for a race. However, during that formation lap, the unthinkable happened: one of the rookie drivers, Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls, lost control of his car and spun into a barrier, putting him out of the race before it even began.

While his car was being recovered, it was clear that Hadjar was visibly – almost uncontrollably – upset. After all the buildup to the race and years of working to get to the pinnacle of his sport, Hadjar embarrassingly totaled his car before the race even began.

As Hadjar made his way through the paddock sobbing, a kind soul held him as they both walked. That kind soul was Anthony Hamilton, the father of Lewis Hamilton. A fixture at races, Anthony has witnessed his son earn the highest accolades and suffer the most bitter of defeats. When he saw how forlorn the rookie driver was, Hamilton left his spot in the Ferrari garage, found Hadjar, and, for that moment, became a surrogate father.

“There’s so much pressure all the way getting to the F1 grid and, at your first race, it doesn’t happen,” Hamilton said when asked why he came to Hadjar’s side. He continued, “When I saw what happened to him, I just felt for him. I just wanted to give him a hug – I felt for him like a father.” 

In a moment when Anthony Hamilton should rightly be focused on his son’s first race with Ferrari, he immediately went and supported another driver. It made me think how many times I’ve been fortunate enough to receive encouragement from an unlikely source when I needed it most. Like most of you, I’ve had career setbacks: lost important clients, been “downsized,” failed to get a promotion, and even outright fired. While I always had the support of my family and friends, at each of those moments, I received encouragement from unlikely sources like old bosses, people I thought were always “too busy” for me, competitors, and even a few whom I was convinced quietly rooted for my failure. It meant the world to me then, and it does now. Even more, I realize now that it helped me move on from each defeat. Honestly, I owe a debt of gratitude to each of them and try to repay it the way they would want – by giving support to anyone, friend or frenemy, going through a challenging time.

Next time you see someone working through a career setback, I highly encourage you to reach out and offer support – whether you know them or not. You may not realize the massive and lifting impact that will have as they navigate uncertain waters.