Ex F1 star issues statement after Texas arrest

Antonio Pizzonia looks concerned in his F1 race suit back in 2003 — Photo: © IMAGO

Ex F1 star issues statement after Texas arrest

The Brazilian racing driver issued a statement on social media

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 13 January 2026 11:51

Ex F1 driver Antonio Pizzonia has issued a statement after he was reportedly arrested for assault.

The Brazilian racing driver competed in F1 between 2003 and 2005, racing for Jaguar and Williams, but was replaced by Nico Rosberg at the latter team for the 2006 season.

According to TMZ, Pizzonia was booked in at a Texas jail at around 6pm on Saturday, with a mugshot being released by Montgomery County Police, although the circumstances around the arrest are unclear.

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On Saturday, Pizzonia attended the 2026 Superkarts! USA Winter Series at the Speedsportz Racing Park in Texas, where his son Antonio Pizzonia Neto finished ninth in the X30 Junior race.

Pizzonia issues statement

The 45-year-old posted a statement to his Instagram story that read: "Everyone I'm okay and I'm back at home.

"Indeed there was an incident to which today, I would have reacted in a different way.

"I understood at that moment that my son, a child, was being coerced by an adult and instinctively I defended him.

"Thank you to everyone for your messages of support."

Pizzonia was a promising driver when joining Jaguar in 2003, but he failed to meet expectations and was axed by the team without scoring a point midway through the season.

In 2004, Pizzonia replaced an injured Ralf Schumacher at Williams, picking up points at the German, Hungarian and Italian Grands Prix.

Following the end of his F1 career in 2005, Pizzonia turned his attention to series such as Stock Car Brazil, and won the Auto GP World Series in 2015. He also took back-to-back BOSS GP - Open Class victories in 2023 and 2024.