An ex-Formula One driver was filmed launching a karate style kick at a man who was arguing with his son before following up with a right hook
An ex-Formula One driver says he acted “instinctively” to protect his son when he launched a karate kick at another man and was arrested.
Footage of the moment Antonio Pizzonia, who previously drove for Jaguar and Williams in F1, lashed out with a flying kick to the man’s back, which he followed up with a punch, has gone viral on social media. It was also published by Brazilian online news portal G1.
Pizzonia, 45, who raced in F1 from 2003 to 2005, ended up in jail briefly following the altercation on Saturday night, although he has now been released. TMZ reports that Pizzonia was taken into custody at a local jail around 6pm.
The alleged assault happened at the Speedsportz Racing Park in Montgomery Country, where the Brazilian watched his son Antonio Pizzonia Neto finish ninth in a junior race at the 2026 Superkarts! USA Winter Series.
Video clips shared online show a man gesturing and pointing his finger at a young driver wearing a helmet – thought to be Pizzonia’s son – from behind a metal fence.
The man he kicked and punched is reported to have been arguing with the youngster, who he was seen wagging his finger at before Pizzonia intervened, for reasons that have not yet been made clear.
Pizzonia, who enjoyed success in motorsport after leaving F1, appeared out of nowhere and launched a karate-style high kick at his back after running towards him and swiftly followed it up with a right hook to his chin before the pair were separated.
Speaking in his first comments about the incident, Pizzonia said in an Instagram post: “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 had celebrated New Year with his family in Orlando, Florida. His mugshot was released by Montgomery County Police following his arrest.
He made his F1 debut with Jaguar, racing alongside Mark Webber. However, he was dropped after 12 Grands Prix, having failed to score a point.
Pizzonia was kept on as a test driver by Williams and raced four times in 2004 in place of the injured Ralf Schumacher, earning six points. He remained a reserve for 2005, but again got opportunities to drive, racing five more times for Williams and adding two more points to his career total.
However, he did not secure a permanent race seat for 2006, with the team choosing to sign newly-crowned GP2 champion Nico Rosberg, a future F1 champion with Mercedes.
After that, Pizzonia raced a few times in GP2, but primarily participated in motorsport events. He competed in the Brazilian Stock Car championship over many years and returned to Europe for the BOSS GP Racing series, where he won the Open Class title in 2023 and 2024.