FIA issues a formal warning to F1 driver Isack Hadjar after paddock push

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar received a formal warning from the governing body of Formula 1 on Saturday after pushing a fan in the paddock area before a practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Footage on social media shows Hadjar using his right hand to push away an adult man who attempted to hug him and take a selfie.

Seconds before the incident, the French driver agreed to take a photo with a different spectator.

During a meeting with the stewards on Saturday, Hadjar explained that he was running late for the first free practice when he paused to take a photo with a young fan. He said another individual then approached him “aggressively,” adding that while security personnel were nearby they failed to prevent this “invasion of the driver’s private space,” which triggered the push.

While the FIA sporting code permits financial or sporting penalties depending on the severity of an infraction, it also accounts for mitigating circumstances, which stewards applied in this instance.

The stewards opted to issue only a formal warning, concluding that the “driver was reacting to an uninvited and rather aggressive action by another person.” Also factored in was Hadjar navigating a congested area with inadequate security, that the spectator breached his personal space without consent, and that paddock congestion remained a persistent issue for drivers.

Paddock crowds at the Mexico City GP have frequently grown so dense that drivers including Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton have resorted to using rear access routes to bypass fans.

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