Hadjar defends shoving selfie-seeker at Mexican GP after FIA warning

Isack Hadjar received only a formal warning from FIA stewards at the Mexican Grand Prix after footage circulated on social media showing the Red Bull driver shoving a man who attempted to take a selfie with him in the paddock on Saturday morning.

The stewards found Hadjar had breached the International Sporting Code but stopped short of any further sanction, pointing to five mitigating factors. “The driver was reacting to an uninvited and rather aggressive action by another person,” the stewards stated. They also noted that Hadjar was trying to reach the start of FP1 through a congested area, lacked sufficient security, and that the guest had invaded his personal space without consent.

Speaking to media after qualifying seventh for the race, Hadjar made clear he had no regrets. “I’m glad they took the right decision. I was talking to the stewards and they understood my point. So, yeah, fair play,” he said.

The 20-year-old was candid about where he draws the line with fan interactions. “There’s a limit to it, also when you’re that age. When you’re a kid, I’m going to take a picture. When I don’t want to take a picture because you’re a grown man, don’t invade my space, because I’m going to work — it’s not a reality show. I’m actually going to work in the garage.”

Hadjar’s comments echo a broader frustration within the paddock. His team-mate Max Verstappen recently described the growing volume of guests as making the paddock feel “like a zoo”, and Hadjar aligned himself firmly with that view. “Yeah, I agree. It needs to chill a bit,” he said.

The incident adds to an ongoing conversation in Formula 1 about access management in the paddock, where the expansion of hospitality programmes and social-media-driven guest lists has increasingly brought drivers into close, unmanaged contact with large numbers of visitors during working hours.