According to local authorities, protesters plan to storm the track during Sunday's race at Silverstone. Police made an appeal in the name of safety and said they were open to "facilitating a peaceful protest".
British authorities are on alert about possible protests that may take place during the British GP this weekend. According to local police, there is evidence that protesters plan to storm the track during the race on Sunday.
Chief inspector, Tom Thompson, made an appeal to the public attending Silverstone, asking them to be on the lookout for any kind of movement that doesn't seem right. "We have received credible information that a group of protesters are planning to disrupt the event and possibly storm the track on race day," said the police officer in charge of event security.
"First of all, I want to appeal directly to this group of people and strongly urge them not to put themselves and the drivers at risk, and also the stewards, volunteers and the general public. Entering the track during the race is extremely dangerous - if you follow through with this reckless plan, you will be putting lives at risk," he warned.
Thompson also said during the week that the police are open to "facilitating a peaceful protest" if protesters would make prior contact. A crowd of around 400,000 people is expected this weekend.
"The security measures we have implemented are tighter than ever, and anyone who wants to use the F1 weekend to commit a crime will be caught. Finally, I appeal to the public to be vigilant and make us aware of anything seen at the weekend that doesn't look right," the chief inspector closed.
The British GP has already been through a similar situation in 2003. On that occasion, the race was interrupted when Father Cornelius Horan invaded the track carrying a banner with religious slogans - the same priest who, the following year, grabbed Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima during the marathon at the Athens Olympics.
The alert for possible protests intensified after Nelson Piquet's racist speech referring to Lewis Hamilton went viral and made worldwide news, generating a wave of repudiation in the F1 paddock.