Formula 1

Track invasion mars end of Australian Grand Prix: Stewards investigating incident

Published

2 months ago

02/04/2023

Track invasion mars end of Australian Grand Prix Stewards investigating incident

FIA investigates track invasion after Australian Grand Prix, while Hamilton admits defeat to Verstappen and Red Bull.

The Australian Grand Prix stewards are currently looking into an incident of track invasion that seemed to have occurred after the race concluded.

According to a statement released by the FIA, a member of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation has been called to meet with them at 8:15 pm local time, which is more than two and a half hours after the race’s end.

There has been no official confirmation on the specific area where the track invasion took place. However, Lewis Hamilton reported that he saw some fans on the track after he had taken the chequered flag at Albert Park.

Hamilton stated that some of the fans were located on the inside of turn one, while others were seen climbing the fences at the corner.

Lewis Hamilton notified his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, that fans had entered the track after he finished second in the race, stating “There’s people on the track, man, some fans have got on.” Shortly after Hamilton’s report, a red flag was displayed, even though Max Verstappen had already taken the chequered flag.

F1 has reported that the number of spectators who attended the race today was 131,124. The organization also claimed that the total audience for the four-day event was 444,631, which surpassed the previous record set at the Circuit of the USA last year.

The Albert Park circuit has experienced a previous incident of track invasion after the conclusion of the 2017 race. A group of spectators entered the circuit by accessing turns 14, 15, and 16.

The issue of fans gaining unauthorized access to circuits has been a problem not only at the Albert Park circuit but also at other venues.

Recently, six Just Stop Oil protesters were sentenced this week for their involvement in a protest at Silverstone during last year’s British Grand Prix.

Hamilton praises team’s hard work after impressive second-place finish at Australian Grand Prix

Following his defeat at the Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has stated that Max Verstappen and Red Bull seem to be “in another league” in the 2023 F1 season.

Despite managing to pass Verstappen on the first lap due to a slow start by the latter, Hamilton was unable to maintain the lead as Verstappen quickly regained his position with the help of DRS on the run to Turn 9.

After Max Verstappen won the Australian Grand Prix under Safety Car conditions, having built a comfortable lead over Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion admitted that Mercedes has much to improve upon to compete with Red Bull for victories this season. Hamilton noted that Red Bull and Verstappen are “in another league” and that his car was “so fast” during the race.

Hamilton was astonished at how Verstappen flew past him halfway down the straight, with the Red Bull car boasting significant speed advantages. He acknowledged that until Mercedes catches up with Red Bull in terms of straight-line speed and cornering downforce, they won’t be able to compete with the pace of the Red Bull car.

Hamilton also stated that if Mercedes works together, they can compete with Ferrari and Aston Martin. However, he acknowledged that the real competition is with Fernando Alonso at the moment.

Hamilton enjoyed racing Alonso and felt that it was similar to his first race at the same venue in 2007.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok commented that Hamilton had “no chance” against Verstappen once the latter was able to take advantage of Red Bull’s strong DRS.

According to Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok, Hamilton was unable to defend against Verstappen’s speed and had “no chance” of winning the race.

Chandhok acknowledged that Red Bull has a strong car that is capable of handling wheel-to-wheel battles, whereas Hamilton appeared comfortable and not under threat. Chandhok believes that Mercedes should be content with their performance as they have a lot of work to do to match the pace of the Red Bull car.

Despite not winning the race, Hamilton was pleased with his team’s performance and praised them for their hard work.

He described taking second place in Melbourne as “amazing” and expressed his gratitude towards Mercedes for their continued efforts in improving the car.

Hamilton acknowledged that the car had been difficult to handle, making it remarkable that they finished on the podium and earned valuable points.

Hamilton hoped that their success would serve as a boost of energy and motivation for the team to continue pushing for further improvement. While it is still early in the season, Hamilton believes that they are within reach of their competitors and encouraged everyone to keep pushing to close the gap.

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