Nov.1 (GMM) Isack Hadjar has escaped with a formal warning after shoving a paddock guest in Mexico, with the FIA agreeing that the fan had invaded his personal space in an “aggressive” way.
The Red Bull driver was summoned after viral footage showed him pushing away an adult man who had put an arm around him while attempting to take a selfie.
The stewards ruled that Hadjar’s open-handed push technically breached the International Sporting Code, but listed several mitigating factors.
“The driver was reacting to an uninvited and rather aggressive action by another person,” the decision said.
The stewards also noted that Hadjar was running late for FP1, had insufficient security around him and that the guest had entered his personal space without consent.
Hadjar welcomed the outcome.
“I’m glad they made the right decision,” said the Frenchman.
“I spoke to the stewards and they understood my point of view. So yes, I think it’s fair.”
He said better security would help avoid a repeat.
“Next time I’ll need someone to handle security a bit better,” Hadjar continued.
“I don’t want to have to deal with security myself.”
Hadjar also drew a clear distinction between young fans and adults.
“When you’re a kid, I’ll take a picture even if I don’t want to. But now that you’re a grown man, don’t invade my space.”
“I’m going to work. This isn’t a reality show.”
The incident follows Max Verstappen’s recent complaint that the paddock had become like a “zoo”.