Hadjar defends Mexico paddock push after selfie attempt

Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar defended pushing away a paddock guest who tried to take a selfie with him at the Mexican Grand Prix. The stewards found that he had breached the International Sporting Code but issued only a formal warning, citing five mitigating factors.

As mitigating factors, the stewards said Hadjar was making his way to the start of FP1 through a congested area and reacting to an uninvited, rather aggressive action. They also cited insufficient security, the guest’s invasion of Hadjar’s personal space without consent, and the wider difficulties drivers had experienced moving through the paddock.

After qualifying seventh, Hadjar said the stewards had understood his point and made the right decision. He said he would take a picture with a child, but did not want an adult invading his space while he was on his way to work in the garage. “It’s not a reality show,” he said.

Hadjar also agreed with team-mate Max Verstappen, who had recently said the growing number of guests made the paddock feel “like a zoo”. Hadjar said the situation needed to “chill a bit”.