Red Bull legend slams Isack Hadjar fan incident: ‘This isn’t a petting zoo’

Former Red Bull F1 mechanic and Red Bull ambassador Calum Nicholas has defended Isack Hadjar after he was caught up in an incident involving a fan at the Mexican Grand Prix.

The incident in question happened ahead of FP1 on Friday, when Hadjar was heading into the Red Bull garage but ended up shoving a fan who had put his arm around him and tried to take a selfie.

A clip of what happened has since been seen by thousands on social media and has divided opinion, with some, like Nicholas, feeling the Red Bull driver was well within his rights to shove the fan. Other, though, have argued that there was no need for the shove.

Either way, the stewards summoned Hadjar on Saturday, and they have decided to give him a formal warning for his actions, which they saw were a breach of the regulations.

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Ex-Red Bull mechanic on Isack Hadjar incident

After news of Hadjar's summons broke, Nicholas took to social media with his view on the incident, calling it 'odd' that the stewards saw the need to talk to him.

"A driver being summoned to the stewards because a fan thought it was ok to touch them without their consent seems… odd," he wrote on X, before Hadjar's formal warning had been confirmed.

"You might have paid a lot of money to be there, but this isn’t a petting zoo."

When another X user disagreed and questioned Hadjar's right to push someone, Nicholas replied: "Come on, be reasonable. If I did that to someone that I didn’t know, I’d expect to be moved out of the way and told my behaviour was inappropriate."

"People’s right to personal space shouldn’t be up for debate. Also, I think sometimes people forget/don’t appreciate the level of access they have to Formula 1 and the athletes in 2026.

"Teams and drivers do an incredible amount to try and let fans get closer, but there have to be some boundaries too. I think this is a fair boundary that shouldn’t be crossed."

What did the stewards say about Hadjar incident?

In an FIA document, the stewards revealed why they decided that a formal warning was the appropriate punishment for Hadjar in this instance, and outlined several mitigating factors for his actions.

"The driver stated that he was running late for FP1 and had stopped to have a photograph with a young fan, when he was approached by a paddock guest in an aggressive manner. One security person was walking behind him and was unable to intervene and prevent what was tantamount to an invasion of the driver’s private space," the stewards said.

"The driver initially resisted the move by placing his hand on the waist of the guest, holding him at bay, then the driver pushed him aside with his open right hand.

"This latter action by the driver is regarded as a breach of the regulations however, in mitigation of penalty, the stewards considered the following matters (in accordance with the guidelines provided in Appendix B of the FIA International Sporting Code):

• a) The driver was reacting to an uninvited and rather aggressive action by another person
• b) The driver was endeavouring to make his way to the start of FP1 through a congested area
• c) The driver did not have sufficient security present
• d) The guest was invading his personal space without his consent.
• e) The general issue drivers have experienced moving through the Paddock."

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