Image via RichardHammond/X
When Izzy Hammond climbed into a Formula E GEN3 Evo car in Jeddah this weekend, it wasn’t just another influencer activation. It was a Hammond back in a race machine, and for a few tense seconds on Sunday, that history came rushing back.
The 25-year-old journalist and YouTuber was participating in Formula E’s Evo Sessions event, a program designed to put high-profile digital creators behind the wheel of the all-electric GEN3 Evo to generate broader interest in the series. The format gives participants structured training and supervised track time in one of the most advanced electric race cars in the world. It’s serious machinery, not a publicity prop.
At Turn 13 of the modified Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the experience turned abruptly real. Izzy lost control and hit the concrete barrier on the right-hand side of the circuit, causing significant damage to the car. The impact brought her session to an immediate end.
She later described the crash as “scary,” but medical evaluations confirmed she avoided serious injury. A health update reassured fans that she was okay, even if the car didn’t come out as lucky.
For longtime motorsport fans, the surname Hammond carries emotional weight. Richard Hammond’s 2006 jet-powered dragster crash remains one of the most dramatic and widely remembered incidents in automotive television history. Seeing his daughter in a single-seater at speed inevitably triggers that memory, even if the contexts are very different.
These Evo Sessions are conducted with full safety protocols. Participants undergo simulator preparation and on-site instruction before taking to the track, and the GEN3 Evo chassis is engineered with modern impact protection designed specifically for incidents like this. But racing, even in controlled environments, does not eliminate risk. High-performance cars demand precision, and when grip is lost at speed, barriers arrive quickly.
Izzy reportedly joked in the aftermath that her dad was probably watching and “going to cry,” a line that humanized the moment instantly. For Richard Hammond, who has lived through the harshest version of motorsport consequence, watching from the sidelines likely felt very different than being in the driver’s seat.
For Formula E, the crash underscores something important: these sessions are authentic. The cars are real race machines. The speeds are real. The consequences, even in safe conditions, are real.
For fans, it was something else entirely — a reminder that passion for speed and curiosity about racing often runs through families. The Hammond name has long been tied to automotive adventure. On Sunday, that legacy stepped into a new generation, hit a wall, and walked away.
And sometimes in racing, walking away is the only headline that truly matters.
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