A hydrodynamic bearing contains a body of which an inner surface forms a cavity arranged to accommodate and surround a rotary shaft. The cavity has a plurality of pads installed on the inner surface so as to support and guide the rotary shaft in rotation in a direction of rotation w from “upstream” to “downstream”. Each pad has an upper surface of which one portion, referred to as the “active surface”, acts as a sliding surface for the rotary shaft. The bearing having at least one pad included in an active angular sector of the bearing and at least one pad included in a passive angular sector of the bearing such that the active surface of each pad of the passive angular sector is lower than the active surface of each of the pads of the active angular sector.