Lewis Hamilton spoke out about the harassment reported by fans at the Red Bull Ring and asked F1 to take action
Lewis Hamilton spoke out about the harassment suffered by some fans in the stands of the Austrian GP, which takes place this weekend. On Sunday morning (10), the seven-time champion spoke out on his social networks and asked the Formula 1 organization to take action.
"Disgusted and disappointed to hear that some fans are facing racism, homophobia and all kinds of abusive behavior at the circuit this weekend. Attending the Austrian GP or any other should never be a source of anxiety and pain for fans, and something needs to be done to ensure that races are safe environments for everyone. Please, if you saw this happen, report it to circuit security and F1, we cannot sit back and allow this to continue," Lewis said.
The behavior of the crowd in Austria - the vast majority supporting Max Verstappen and, consequently, the home team - had already drawn attention in qualifying for the sprint race. During Q3, as soon as Lewis Hamilton crashed, the stands became euphoric. The Mercedes driver rebuffed the attitude.
However, what happens at the Spielberg circuit is not just a matter of rivalry between teams. Many women, especially, took to the networks to share how uncomfortable it has been to go to the circuit to follow F1. "The behavior has been so... disappointing. My expectations were already not very good, but gee, racism, swearing, harassment... the list goes on," wrote, for example, a female fan on Twitter.
The category itself also expressed itself on the matter, confirming Hamilton's request. "We have become aware of reports that some fans have been targets of completely unacceptable comments coming from other fans during the event. We have raised this with the [race] promoter and local security and will listen to anyone who has reported such incidents and is taking it very seriously. This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. All fans must be treated with respect," he assured.