Dramatic post race scenes marred the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday with fans invading the track prematurely, moments after a fan was left bloodied by flying debris.
The race on Sunday – won by Max Verstappen – was already noted for its chaos, with three red flags called before it finished in farcical circumstances after lasting more than two-and-a-half hours.
Many fans who were forced to wait through multiple lengthy race delays were eager to rush the track at the end of the race, as is standard at Grands Prix once cars return to parc ferme for the last time.
However, footage has shown fans being able to spill over the barriers ahead of time, leading to a member of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation being formally summoned to the FIA.
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As per the FIA, “a large group of spectators managed to break the security lines and accessed the track while the race was still ongoing.”
This saw fans reaching the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg, who had parked on the exit of Turn 2 after crossing the chequered flag.
The FIA said the car “still had its light flashing red (i.e. the car was in an unsafe condition with possible electrical discharge)”.
“All of this presented significant danger to the spectators; race officials and the drivers,” the FIA said.
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After an investigation that went well into the night, the AGCP was found to have breached the FIA International Sporting Code – failure to take reasonable measures, thus resulting in an unsafe action.
The stewards’ ruling said that the AGCP should now “urgently present a formal remediation plan to the FIA that adequately addresses the serious concerns above”.
Meanwhile, a fan was left with blood running down his forearm after debris flew into the crowd at Albert Park following a crash outside Turn 2.
