Chaos at Australian GP: F1 race organizers under fire for safety breaches
Apr.4 - F1's rights holders Liberty Media, and the governing FIA, were not the only organisations receiving flak after the chaotic Australian GP.
The Albert Park race's local organisers were also in the dock for two incidents amid the late-race chaos on Sunday.
First, a fan was left bleeding after his arm was struck by debris from Kevin Magnussen's crashed Haas.
"My arm was covering where my neck would've been, but if that had hit my fiancee, it would've got her right in the head," the spectator told local radio 3AW.
Andrew Westacott, boss of the Australian grand prix Corporation (AGPC), called it a "freak one-off" incident after debris flew "20 metres" into the air.
"You can't necessarily have these debris fences going 20 metres in the air," he insisted.
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23, leads Pierre Gasly, Alpine A523
"We're compliant in our FIA regulations, but like everything in motorsport, you do debriefs at the end of the event and see what you can do to improve."
The AGPC was even summoned by the stewards to explain why hordes of people broke through spectator fencing whilst the race was still taking place amid the fading Melbourne light.
The FIA reacted by saying protocols were indeed breached, creating "a dangerous environment for spectators and drivers" that must now be reacted to.
"It could have ended horribly," AGPC chairman Andrew Westacott agreed to local broadcaster ABC.
"We have a large number of CCTV cameras and a large amount of footage that we need to evaluate over the next two weeks."
Not just that, the FIA was also unhappy that spectators were able to get close to Nico Hulkenberg's stricken car whilst the Haas' red light - indicating a potential electrical hazard - was still flashing.
An investigation has been launched, but the organisers otherwise escaped any specific penalty for now.
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Not the first time Albert Park has had issues with premature track invasion, as the 2017 & '18 races also featured a premature invasion on the cooldown lap, & paddock/pit guests got access to pit lane on the final lap last season, with Albon approaching after his late stop.
I read elsewhere that even a suspension for Australian GP from next season is possible.
Perhaps you dreamt up the suspension bit, but let's get serious here. Melbourne is the undisputed champion of woke cities, where folks will go to great lengths to prove their avant-garde bona fides. I wouldn't be surprised if they were claiming to be race cars or seagulls just to justify their fence-climbing shenanigans. And who knows, maybe they were even racing to protect a wandering fly, because you never know what kind of impact the death of a single insect could have on the delicate balance of the universe.
Glad to hear it
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