- Fans staged incredibly dangerous act at last year’s race
- Australian Grand Prix Corporation has laid down the law
- This year’s event will feature first Aussie ban of its kind
Fans will no longer be allowed trackside to watch the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park after organisers acted 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 track while cars were still completing cool-down laps at high speeds in 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’s warning light was flashing red due to potentially harmful electric discharge.
Terrifying footage showed several fans leaping over the barrier near the pit lane exit in Melbourne last year while others scaled 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 breach at the conclusion of the 2023 event, there will be no track access for patrons following the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2024,’ the AGPC’s statement read.
‘Decisions regarding patron access to the track at the conclusion of future races will be made at a later date.’
Last year pectators managed to break through security lines and run onto the track before the end of the race at Albert Park.
Terrifying footage showed several fans leaping over the barrier near the pit lane exit while others scaled the fence to watch the race from a dangerous height.
One man dressed in a blue shirt was seen running along the track before he was called back.
Stewards ordered Australian Grand Prix organisers to urgently produce a ‘remediation plan’ following the invasion.
Their report found organisers of the race were in breach of the FIA International Sporting Code.
F1 fans are pictured crossing through a barrier to invade the track while cars were still completing cool-down laps at high speed on the Albert Park circuit last April
Australian star driver Oscar Piastri (pictured) recorded the first points of his F1 career at Albert Park last year
Max Verstappen (pictured, centre) won a chaotic race that had to be re-started a record three times after a series of red flags
‘A large group of spectators managed to break the security lines and accessed the track while the race was still ongoing,’ the report read.
‘The security measures and the protocols which were expected to be in place for the event were not enforced resulting in an unsafe environment for spectators, drivers and race officials.
‘Furthermore, spectators were also able to reach car No.27 (Nico Hulkenberg), which was parked at exit of turn 2 and which 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.’
More than 440,000 fans attended the Australian Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne last year, where a chaotic race unfolded.
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-placed finish in his maiden home event.
