F1 must act hard on abuse

Attending a Formula 1 grand prix is something many fans rarely – and in some cases never – get the opportunity to do.

To do so is something very special. It’s something you’ve saved up for ages to do, something you’ve had firmly put in the diary, booking your flights and hotels. You’ve made your flags, got your merch, and planned out your trip to the very last detail.

But then you get to the track, and it turns into an experience that makes you not want to go to an F1 race ever again.

That’s the reality that a number of fans sadly faced over the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, as reports of sexual harassment towards women, racial abuse and the use of homophobic slurs flooded social media, showing the sinister, unacceptable side of F1’s current fan boom.

The Austrian Grand Prix is regarded as being one of the best-run of the F1 season. Having not attended the race since 2019, I tweeted last Wednesday how excited I was to be back, urging people to attend if they’re going to pick a European race. Great views, great facilities, great racing – what more could you want?

Well, you want a great fan experience when you are on the ground. The tagline used around the Red Bull Ring was: “Life is better at a race track.” On face value, it is a nice way to urge people to come to your race.

But life is not better when you’re being catcalled. Or jeered because of who you support. Or abused because of who you love or the colour of your skin. Or, in one of the most shocking stories that emerged on Sunday, having your dress lifted up by a group of drunk male fans who say: “You’re a Hamilton fan, you don’t deserve respect.”

It’s sickening behaviour that needs to be stamped out not only from F1’s fanbase, but from society altogether. The world may seem more divided than ever as elected leaders thrive on polarisation and internet trolls use “snowflakes” as an excuse to be awful human beings. But for such behaviour to stretch to F1, where simply supporting a different driver was justification for some to hurl abuse and ruin weekends, is deeply sad and so wrong.

And let’s be clear right now: alcohol is zero excuse. Leaving the track every evening, we saw people vomiting or urinating around the track exit, who had clearly consumed too much through the day. Limiting the amount of alcohol people have is difficult, but steps such as…