F1 photographer placed in choke hold by police at Spanish GP podium area

Images shared by Spanish motorsport journalist Daniel Atán on X appear to show long-serving photographer Peter Fox being placed in a choke hold by Spanish police as he attempted to reach the podium.

Fox was trying to access the podium via a passageway designated for photographers but was stopped by the heavy-handed security. The confrontation was also captured in brief video shared on social media, showing Fox, who was wearing official Williams team gear, being restrained on the ground.

Atán described the scene as "absolutely surreal" in his post on X, pointing out that Fox had been using an authorised media passage to reach the podium when police intervened.

Fellow F1 photographer Jamey Price defended his colleague on social media. Price, a 2019 recipient of the Motorsport Photographer of the Year Award from the National Motorsports Press Association, wrote: "I don't know the context here. But I do know the photographer in the choke hold and he's a long standing professional covering f1 for many decades. AND I do also know based on my own vast experience with police and security at races, I'm 0% surprised."

The Spanish Government Delegation in Madrid announced nearly 1,500 Policía Nacional and Guardia Civil personnel for each day of the event, including more than 1,300 national police officers and over 150 Guardia Civil personnel. Madrid also deployed a separate contingent of 1,350 city personnel, including municipal police. Despite the heavy security presence, the incident raises questions about coordination between police and F1's media accreditation system at the new venue.

The confrontation is the latest in a series of headaches surrounding the Madring's first F1 weekend. In the weeks before the race, cable theft at the circuit triggered a separate police investigation, as GPblog previously reported. Two ongoing lawsuits have also clouded the build-up, one dealing with intellectual property issues and the other a residential and environmental challenge.

On track, several drivers have been highly critical of the layout, with Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto joking that he "almost fell asleep" during Sunday's 57-lap race.