- Fans performed an incredibly dangerous act during last year’s race
- Australian Grand Prix Corporation has laid down the law
- This year’s event will feature the first Aussie ban of its kind
Fans will no longer be allowed trackside to watch the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park after organizers took action following a dangerous track invasion last year.
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation has decided to ban spectators for at least the 2024 event and possibly permanently, confirming its decision in a statement released on Thursday.
It comes after Formula 1 fans were able to bypass security and step through a barrier to enter the circuit while cars were still completing high-speed cool-down laps during a potentially life-threatening incident at the end of the 2023 Grand Prix.
Videos published online also showed fans posing with the parked vehicle of Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, whose car warning light was flashing red due to a potentially harmful electrical discharge.
Terrifying footage showed several fans jumping over the barrier at the pit lane exit in Melbourne last year, while others climbed over the fence to watch the race from a dangerous height.
‘The Australian Grand Prix Corporation advises that, given the ongoing FIA investigation into the early track infringement at the end of the 2023 event, there will be no access to the track for customers after the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2024 ‘, the AGPC statement said.
“Decisions regarding customer access to the track at the end of future races will be made at a later date.”
Last year, pectators managed to break through the security lines and run onto the track before the end of the race in Albert Park.
Terrifying footage showed several fans jumping over the barrier at the pit lane exit, while others climbed over the fence to watch the race from a dangerous height.
A man wearing a blue shirt was seen running around the track before being called back.
Stewards ordered the organizers of the Australian Grand Prix to urgently draw up a ‘recovery plan’ after the invasion.
Their report found that the race organizers had breached the FIA International Sporting Code.
F1 fans are pictured passing through a barrier to enter the circuit as cars were still completing high-speed cool-down laps at the Albert Park circuit last April
Australian star driver Oscar Piastri (photo) recorded the first points of his F1 career at Albert Park last year
Max Verstappen (pictured, center) won a chaotic race that had to be restarted a record three times after a series of red flags
“A large group of spectators managed to breach the security lines and gain access to the track while the race was still in progress,” the report said.
“The safety measures and protocols expected to be in place for the event were not enforced, resulting in an unsafe environment for spectators, drivers and race officials.
‘In addition, spectators were also able to reach car No. 27 (Nico Hulkenberg), which was parked at the exit of Turn 2 and whose light was still flashing red (i.e. the car was in an unsafe condition with possible electrical discharge) .
‘All this posed a significant danger to the spectators; race officials and the drivers.”
More than 440,000 fans attended the Australian Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne last year, where a chaotic race took place.
It was the first Grand Prix in F1 history to be restarted three times after a series of red flags due to crashes and mechanical failures.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed victory over Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), while Australian Oscar Piastri recorded the first points of his F1 career with an eighth-place finish in his first home event.
