Lewis Hamilton has called on the F1 fans at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix to behave themselves a year on from dragging the sport into disrepute.
Last season’s race at the Red Bull Ring was overshadowed by reports of homophobic, racist, and misogynistic behaviour from a minority of those in attendance.
F1 was forced to condemn the shocking conduct in the strongest possible terms, describing it as “unacceptable” and that it would not be tolerated in future.
In a social media post at the time, Hamilton said he was “disgusted and disappointed” to hear about the abuse, adding that attending a grand prix “should never be a source of anxiety and pain for fans” and that “something must be done to ensure races are safe spaces for all”.
It sparked F1 into launching the ‘Drive it Out’ campaign in order to call out abusive behaviour on social media platforms, and demanding respect from all fans at events and online.
All promoters have since increased security, alongside numerous other measures that have been developed to ensure fans feel safe and secure in attending an event. It is understood that for this weekend in Austria, specifically, a number of additional protocols are in place.
Addressing last year’s toxic atmosphere and what he is hoping for on this occasion, seven-time F1 champion Hamilton said he is “definitely” not anticipating a repeat of 12 months ago, “especially when we are coming to such a beautiful place”.
He added: “It was definitely sad to hear what happened last year.
“I do know that Formula 1 has taken action to make some changes here this weekend but I still feel there is work that needs to be done.
“Ultimately, potentially the same group of people could turn up and we just need to be very strong in our stance in terms of how we expect people to be within this space that’s inclusive for anybody.
“I hope last year was a one-off. Fingers crossed.”
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