THE Austrian Grand Prix left a sour taste in the mouth as it was dragged into a mire of tales of harassment, sexism, homophobia and racism.
What should have been a celebration of the explosion of colour, a captivating grand prix and Charles Leclerc breathing life into the title race, was left with the sport’s main characters condemning the behaviour of a minority.
There was fan trouble at the Austrian GP
Such a condemnation is entirely justified as any such incidents should not be tolerated in society — let alone at an F1 race.
It leaves the sport in a tricky position.
F1 is riding a wave of popularity and such disgusting stories are not only sad but also potentially damaging.
Why would fans want to attend a race if they feared they would be exposed to such behaviour?
It was startling that while F1 — to their credit — were swift in responding to the complaints, there was no noticeable action from the promoter who ran the event, in this case the Red Bull Ring.
It poses the question, what can be done to prevent a repeat of the sick incidents from happening in the future and to make attending a race more welcoming?
Ahead of football matches, there is usually a public address announcement where fans are warned that particular language is unacceptable and anyone found using offensive terms will be ejected.
Making that part of the build-up to a race is an obvious step promoters should be forced to take as part of their agreement with F1.
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Some female friends of mine, who either work in or attend races, feel it should be made clear on tickets that using offensive language or behaviour would result in them being kicked out of the event.
The issue, of course, is policing it.
At a football match, the area is considerably smaller and the steward-to-fan ratio far higher, not to mention the amount of CCTV cameras to catch perpetrators.
But the fact that there is currently no official way to report an incident at a race track is disturbing.
There’s no official ways to report bad behaviour at race tracks
Surely, if we are to crack down on these morons there needs to be a line of direct communication to the circuit to ensure they are able to investigate and take appropriate action.
An anonymous hotline to call or number to text, plus relevant signage on each ticket and grandstand, would be an excellent way of reporting abuse or unacceptable behaviour.
There will be some circuits, no doubt, who will be in denial and say that any such system would be a waste of time. That might be the case, so why don’t we just see.
As a white male, I have not been subjected to such abuse as was reported last weekend — but it does not mean it does not go on.
An anonymous hotline could be useful
If there are no measures in place to report the incidents, how will we know for sure?
There is no doubt that the fan landscape of F1 is changing — you only need to look at the toxicity on social media to see the division between the fan bases.
It is becoming more tribal and more like football, and we must have new mechanisms in place to cope.
We must ensure fans feel welcomed and safe — and those idiots who abuse need to understand that it will NOT be tolerated.
Rag a red flag to vexed Vettel
ANOTHER miserable weekend for Aston Martin. Sebastian Vettel was last and Lance Stroll came 13th.
Four-time champion Vettel, now 14th in the championship, stormed out of a drivers’ briefing believed to be as a result of being fed up with discussions over irrelevant penalties from the stewards, earning him a suspended fine.
I also understand the German was particularly unhappy by his presentation in the event’s free newspaper — The Red Bulletin — which had done him up as a comic-style superhero called ‘Sensible Man’.
Inside the magazine, he is portrayed with his sidekick Stroll in a battle to save the environment and stop the villain — F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali — from adding extra races to the calendar.
Vettel was not impressed.
Vettel was far from impressed with the magazine
McLaren all Hert
McLAREN are handing a private Formula One test to American driver Colton Herta — ramping up speculation he could replace Daniel Ricciardo.
Herta, 22, will drive last year’s car at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal this week.
Ricciardo, who faces more questions about his F 1 future, has endured a miserable time at McLaren and is 47 points behind team-mate Lando Norris in the championship.
Ricciardo faces questions over his F1 future
Bag test fail woe
MOTOGP rider Francesco Bagnaia has apologised for crashing a car in Ibiza and FAILING a breathalyser test.
The Italian put his motor in a ditch after partying on the island last week and faces a driving ban.
He said: “I am sorry for what happened.
“I am practically a non-drinker and it was a serious carelessness which should not have happened. I have learned my lesson.”
Bagnaia has apologised for crashing a car in Ibiza
Moon shine
THERE was some swift panning by the F1 TV director after a couple of fans acted up for the cameras.
Two gents looked to be enjoying themselves by waving — only to turn around, drop their shorts and moon straight into the lens.
cameras caught two fans drop their shorts
