MEXICO CITY — Isack Hadjar welcomed the decision of stewards at the Mexico City Grand Prix to only warn him for pushing a fan who made multiple attempts to get a photo in the track’s paddock, saying that working in Formula 1 is “not a reality show.”
On Friday evening, a video emerged from the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez paddock that showed Hadjar pushing a fan who repeatedly put an arm around him to take a photo while Hadjar was walking to his Red Bull garage ahead of second practice.
The FIA later announced the matter had been referred to the stewards on the grounds of alleged misconduct, and a hearing on the matter was held on Saturday morning.
Although the stewards did deem Hadjar’s actions to be a breach of F1’s regulations, they only gave him a warning, noting in the official FIA bulletin covering the matter that he was “reacting to an uninvited and rather aggressive action by another person.”
The stewards said the fan was “invading (Hadjar’s) personal space without his consent,” and said there was a “general issue” that drivers had encountered trying to move through the busy paddock in Mexico.
Hadjar was NOT happy 😭💀#F1 | #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/wd9sErh11h
— Everything Formula (@evrythngformu1a) October 30, 2026
When asked by The Athletic after qualifying Saturday if he was happy with the stewards’ decision, Hadjar replied: “I am, because they are right.
“It makes sense. I’m glad they took the right decision. I was talking to the stewards, and they understood my point. So yeah, fair play.”
Hadjar also said there was “a limit” to acceptable interactions with fans seeking close-up pictures, and also commented on the age of the fan involved.
“When you’re a kid, I’m going to take a picture when I don’t want to take a picture,” Hadjar said. “But because you’re a grown man, don’t invade my space.
“I’m going to work. It’s not a reality show. I’m actually going to work in the garage.”
Earlier this month, Hadjar’s Red Bull teammate, Max Verstappen, told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that the F1 paddock was now “like a zoo” at many tracks, due to the number of guests combining with large staffs at teams.
“It is often no longer possible to have a chat with someone,” Verstappen said. “That’s not really possible anymore. So, I mainly live (moving) from my room (in Red Bull’s hospitality area), to the garage and the pit lane.”
When Verstappen’s comment was put to Hadjar on Saturday evening in Mexico, he said: “I agree. It needs to chill a bit.”
Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar finishes a lap during qualifying at F1’s 2026 Mexico City GP. (Daniel Becerril / POOL / AFP / Getty Images)
F1 also encountered issues with fans in the paddock at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez back in 2023, when drivers raised concerns about not being given enough personal space. Many have since had security guards help them traverse the paddock — which has also occurred at other races — and Hadjar did have a guard during Friday’s incident.
The guard was behind Hadjar when the fan kept making the attempts to photograph the Frenchman, which was noted in the stewards’ decision not to apply a stronger sanction.
Hadjar said the problem he faced on Friday was not unique to the Mexico paddock.
“It can happen anywhere. You take a ticket to any race, and this guy can travel all around the world, so I can’t control him,” he said.
Hadjar qualified seventh for Sunday’s race, but explained he was struggling with balance issues between the front and rear of his car when pushing on flying laps.
“The car is just so fast,” Hadjar said. “I’m four-tenths (of a second) away from pole, and the lap is horrific. It’s good news.
“The car is strong, it’s just we need to keep working around that balance.”
