The investigation began after fans packed onto the track before the end of the Australian Grand Prix

Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix ended in shambles. Not only because of collisions and red flags, but also because spectators flooded the track.

• Also read: Unexpected 27 points for Aston Martin in the Australian F1 GP

• Also read: When show takes precedence over sportiness and… safety

As our colleague Louis Butcher wrote, we haven’t seen this since the Canadian Grand Prix in 1995 and it has never been repeated.

Spectators flocked to the track even before the end of the race and some drivers stopped immediately after crossing the finish line without being able to take a lap of honour.

Australian Grand Prix boss Andrew Westacott has vowed to open an investigation to shed light on the circumstances that allowed spectators to stand at the track.

appalling

The supporters evaded the various security agencies to find themselves on the asphalt.

“It would have been horrific,” Westacott told AFP. We have a large number of security cameras and a large amount of footage that we will be reviewing over the next couple of weeks. Motorsport is serious.”

The FIA ​​was quick to respond and called on the organizers to seek an explanation of what was considered a major breach of sporting law.

It appeared that some spectators managed to catch up to Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, who stopped at the exit of the second corner after finishing seventh.

onlooker error

“The safety procedures and protocols that would have been necessary to be at the venue of the event were not implemented, creating an unsafe environment for spectators, drivers and race officials,” the FIA ​​said.

Instead, Andrew Westacott blamed attendance, which topped 131,000 on Sunday.

“The spectators are allowed to enter the track after the race is over and after the safety car has passed, but the spectators have breached the safety barrier and we don’t know how yet.”