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Stewards Issue Warning Following Paddock Altercation
Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar has received a warning from Formula 1 stewards at the Mexico City Grand Prix after pushing an individual in the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez paddock ahead of Friday practice. Stewards summoned the 22-year-old French racer to a hearing over an allegation of unsporting behaviour, determining that his actions breached Article 12.2.1.l of the FIA International Sporting Code.
Details of the Encounter and Stewards' Inquiry
The incident occurred before opening practice began as a spectator approached Hadjar seeking a photograph together. According to the stewards, the man was pushed twice. The panel reviewed video footage and heard testimony from the competitor piloting car number six alongside a Red Bull team representative before detailing the occurrence in a hearing report. Hadjar explained that he was hurrying toward the garage for the start of the first session and had paused to pose for a picture with a young supporter. At that point, a guest holding paddock accreditation moved toward him in an aggressive manner. Although a lone security guard was walking behind Hadjar, the guard was unable to intervene against what amounted to an intrusion into the driver's personal space.
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Mitigating Factors Cited by the Panel
Stewards noted that Hadjar initially attempted to block the visitor's movement by placing a hand on his waist to hold him back, before shoving him away with an open right hand. Officials ruled that this latter physical push constituted a regulatory violation. However, the governing panel took multiple mitigating factors into consideration before issuing a lenient penalty. The stewards accepted that Hadjar was reacting to an unsolicited and aggressive approach that breached his private boundaries without permission. The findings further stressed that Hadjar was attempting to make his way to track duties while walking through a heavily congested Mexican paddock without sufficient security personnel, observing that high crowd density inside the Mexico venue remains an ongoing problem.
Subsequent Friday Free Practice Running
The disciplinary ruling concluded a frustrating and eventful Friday for Hadjar at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit. During Free Practice 1, power unit troubles hampered the Frenchman's track programme, restricting him to just 21 completed laps. That tally represented the third-lowest lap count across the entire field, surpassing only Jak Crawford in the Aston Martin and Freddie Slater in the Audi. Hadjar ended that initial morning session 11th in the classification, behind session leader Charles Leclerc. Matters improved somewhat during Free Practice 2, where Hadjar posted the sixth-fastest time, while Leclerc again led the running and Max Verstappen took fifth.
