Track invasion: the Australian GP makes a radical decision for spectators

Remember, in 2023, the Australian Grand Prix had been at the heart of several controversies: sporting first of all, with three red flags and a chaotic end of the race with numerous accidents, but also organizational. At the end of the Grand Prix, many spectators entered the track, before permission was given by the stewards. Some spectators were even on the circuit while the cars had not yet entered the pit lane!

A problem which had been pointed out by the FIA, the organizers had been summoned by the governing body before being called to order. The Australian Grand Prix Corporation, promoter of the event, then promised to shed light on the security flaws “unacceptable” which allowed fans to enter the circuit while cars were still racing there.

No invasion of spectators in Melbourne!

A year later, the organizers therefore took a radical decision to avoid this type of excess: in 2024, no one will have the right to invade the track at the finish of the Australian Grand Prix! “The Australian Grand Prix Corporation advises that, in light of the ongoing FIA investigation into early track flooding at the end of the 2023 event, there will be no access to the track for spectators after the 2024 Australian Grand Prix », we can read in a press release published this Thursday. However, the AGPC also highlighted that the question of whether fans would be allowed onto the track at future events “would be decided at a later date. »

In 2023, the F1 was clearly a victim of its success in Australia, since a cumulative 444 spectators were counted around Albert Park over the 631 days of the event. Melbourne, who signed a long-term contract with the discipline until 2035, tries everything possible to maintain good press with the F1. If the podium ceremony will surely lose a little of its charm in Albert Park, safety must come first!

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