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The 2022 F1 Austrian GP was not the best showcase of the sport, especially when it came to fan conduct.
It all started when Lewis Hamilton's crash during Friday's qualifying session was met with cheers from the crowd. It all went downhill from that point onwards as some horrendous accounts of racial, homophobic and sexual abuse started surfacing. In a sport that has tried to spread the message of "We Race As One" (as Hamilton rightly raised), this was arguably the worst thing that could have happened.
What the Spielberg race showed us was that the sport was on the cusp of things boiling over and turning ugly if corrective measures are not put in place.
Some issues need to be addressed
It is well-documented by now what happened in the 2022 F1 Austrian GP. Racial, homophobic, and sexual abuse is just not acceptable in this day and age, and if someone is guilty of committing it, they need to be taken to task.
That, however, was not the only thing. The fans' behavior left the grandstands inhospitable to anyone who was not a Max Verstappen supporter. Furthermore, images of Mercedes merchandise getting burned are not something any fan would be looking forward to and it was a rather uncomfortable viewing.
We need to understand that F1 is still a niche sport. The amount of money needed to attend a race, even if you are a native, is not cheap by any means. As a fan of the sport, scenes of harassment of whatever kind are not what you're looking forward to when you buy a ticket for a race.
What started as an intense championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen last season has seen the emergence of two cult-like figures in this pair. While Hamilton has a loyal British fanbase, Verstappen's Orange Army has taken over the sport as well.
As a result, the support that both the drivers receive in their home races is as unprecedented as the hate in their counterpart's home races. While Verstappen was cheered at the 2022 F1 Austrian GP a week ago, he was vehemently booed without respite in Silverstone. Similarly, Hamilton was lionized by his fans at the 2022 F1 British GP, but then got booed mercilessly in Spielberg.
Sure, boos have been a part of the sport. Everyone remembers Sebastian Vettel getting booed in 2013, or Nico Rosberg facing the same in 2014 or 2016. The problem, however, usually props up when that hate permeates into the fandom and makes life uncomfortable for people who are visiting the GP to just have a good time.
It is here that the question of lack of security should be asked as well. F1 is not the organizer, hence it is not directly responsible for it. Regardless, it's the image of the sport that takes a beating because of it.
And finally, the flares! Although a common sight on a football field, it is not as common in F1. It was first introduced a few years back and its intensity has been increasing by the year.
Let's admit one thing, it's a nice gesture of support for Max Verstappen to paint the sky orange. The problem, however, comes when it goes overboard. Fans on social media have shown that the flares before the start of the race made it impossible to view the track.
That's a clear detriment to the F1 viewing experience of the fans and will make the spectators question why they went through so much hassle of going to the track if this was what they had to bear with.
At the end of the day, what the 2022 F1 Austrian GP showed was that the sport's experience is red-lining and steps need to be taken to prevent that from happening.
What can F1 do?
Now, it would be thoughtless to dismiss the fact that F1 has been going to the Austrian GP for close to a decade now and hasn't faced these issues. What happened this season that tipped the bar towards absolute chaos from the fans? The answer is the toxic fan culture!
While both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have been its victims, the two have been able to garner support from this base as well. It is quite obvious that the two don't get along. Hamilton's comments about the 2021 F1 British GP after Silverstone this season and Verstappen's retaliation to it reveals what the equation between the two looks like.
Having said that, F1 needs both of them to take a united stand and put a stop to this hate. Because in the end, if that doesn't happen, we're not too far away from things getting violent in the grandstands during a race weekend. If the two drivers take a stand and make it clear that the incessant hate towards anyone will not be appreciated, then it would go a long way in keeping the fans in check.
With the drivers out of the way, there is one crucial aspect that the sport needs to take care of as well. Sure, F1 cannot be held accountable for the security in the grandstands as it comes down to the organizer. After such a horrific experience, however, the sport might need to set up a few parameters for the same.
How much security should be there? Is it enough to look after the huge crowd? More importantly, what actions will be taken if one is found guilty? There needs to be a standard operating procedure in place for something like this.
At the end of the day, a ban of some sort is fine, but it's important to send a message first that such actions will not be tolerated in the future. F1 is at a crossroads right now, with fans questioning the kind of experience they can expect. It's about time the sport takes due action because if it doesn't, we might be looking at irreparable damage to its image.
