Formula One has issued a statement in response to unacceptable spectator behavior at the Austrian Grand Prix. Several fans reported that they were victims of sexual harassment during the weekend. The organization takes such incidents very seriously.
Formula One has issued a statement in response to unacceptable spectator behavior at the Austrian Grand Prix. Several fans reported that they were victims of sexual harassment during the weekend. The organization takes such incidents very seriously.
Several messages have appeared on Twitter from female fans sharing their experiences of the weekend in Spielberg. Female fans are said to constantly receive whistles from spectators and are verbally harassed. Some report being photographed without permission or subjected to unsolicited physical advances.
"We have become aware of reports that some fans have been subjected to completely unacceptable comments from others at the event. We have raised this with the promoter and security and will speak with those who reported these incidents, we are taking this very seriously," the F1 statement reads.
"This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated and all fans must be treated with respect," it ended.
This is not the first time this weekend that spectators have been called to account for their behavior. After Lewis Hamilton's crash, fans were cheering and booing to the max, even though the Briton had not yet emerged from his car unscathed.