Prior to the race on Sunday, F1 stated that it had heard from additional fans who claimed to have experienced slurs and hostile remarks.
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Formula One has stated that it will speak with the race promoter about some of the “unacceptable” behaviour of the Austrian Grand Prix spectators. Prior to the race on Sunday, F1 stated that it had heard from additional fans who claimed to have experienced slurs and hostile remarks. In Spielberg, the Red Bull Ring was completely full over the course of three days, drawing 300,000 spectators. F1 broadcast a message on its trackside displays encouraging spectators to take in the racing, treat other people with respect, and have fun, stating that certain supporters’ aggressive behaviour is inappropriate and would not be condoned.
“We have been made aware of reports that some fans have been subject to completely unacceptable comments by others at the Austrian Grand Prix,” F1 said in a statement. “We take these matters very seriously, have raised them with the promoter and event security, and will be speaking to those who reported the incidents.”
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Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time F1 champion, asked spectators to report any inappropriate behaviour. “Attending the Austrian Grand Prix or any GP should never be a source of anxiety and pain for fans and something must be done to ensure that races are safe spaces for all,” he wrote on his Instagram page. “Please, if you see this happening, report it to circuit security and to F1. We cannot sit back and allow this to continue.”
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari held off Max Verstappen of Red Bull to win the Austrian Grand Prix, and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes completed the podium after Carlos Sainz retired. Verstappen, the champion and winner of the Sprint, pitted on Lap 12, giving the lead to Leclerc. Leclerc pitted significantly later, on Lap 27, and caught up to the leaders on Lap 37 to retake the lead. Verstappen was being challenged for P2 by Sainz, so the Dutchman pitted once more on lap 37. On lap 51, Leclerc made his second pit stop. On lap 53, he reclaimed the lead. The Spaniard abruptly slowed down as Sainz closed in on Verstappen, the fire at the back of his Ferrari signalling the end of his race. Hamilton, who had fought his way up from P8 to P4, was now in the final podium position.
Verstappen came within 2.3 seconds of winning for the third time in a row at the Red Bull Ring, but Leclerc took the victory for the first time since Round 3 at Melbourne despite a late-race scare in which he claimed his throttle pedal was sticking, making downshifts challenging. After starting fourth, George Russell dropped to a distant fourth after losing time in his first pit stop and receiving a five-second penalty for hitting Red Bull’s Sergio Perez early on. Esteban Ocon of Alpine finished fifth after starting sixth, with Perez having quit immediately after the Russell-Perez incident.
