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Sebastian Vettel is pushing for a life ban and 'zero tolerance' towards F1 fans found guilty of abusive behavior at the F1 Austrian GP. There had been multiple reports of fans facing racist, sexist, and homophobic abuse over the first two days of the weekend. Not only that, many female fans reported that they faced catcalling and inappropriate touching from fellow fans. One fan even had their skirt pulled up. F1 was quick to issue a zero-tolerance approach towards this behavior.
F1 released a statement which stated:
“We have been made aware of reports that some fans have been subject to completely unacceptable comments by others at the event. We have raised this with the promoter and security and will be speaking to those who have reported these incidents and are taking this very seriously. This kind of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated and all fans should be treated with respect.”
When questioned about the matter, Sebastian Vettel took a strong stand against such behavior. The Aston Martin driver advocated for a life ban for fans who were guilty of committing such acts. He said:
“Horrible isn’t it? I think it is good that this stuff comes out, that’s the start, but it is horrible. Whoever these people are they should be ashamed of themselves and they should be banned from racing events for their lives. I think there should be zero tolerance. If people have a good time and drink too much that’s OK, but it doesn’t justify or excuse wrong behaviour. We race as one, so, the fans are a part of that.”
Sebastian Vettel's former boss shocked at the abusive incidents
Sebastian Vettel's former boss Christian Horner expressed shock at what had happened and stated that such incidents do not hold a place in society. He said:
“We are shocked to hear that there have been some incidents of abusive behaviour in the grandstands and the fan parks. This is completely unacceptable and we hope that security and the authorities deal with this swiftly as there is no place for it in racing or society as a whole. We value inclusion and want a safe space for fans to enjoy our sport.”
Many horrific accounts were shared by fans about their experiences at the 2022 Austrian GP especially in the grandstands on social media. Lewis Hamilton too came out on social media and expressed his disgust at what had happened. Fans are calling for decisive action as this behavior is, unfortunately, not a one-off occurrence in motorsport. All eyes are on the FIA and what it will do to deter such heinous behavior in the future.
