Hamilton condemns reports of sexual harassment at Austrian GP

A number of fans have reported their experiences of being harassed over their gender or sexuality during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend at the Red Bull Ring. 

Stories include female fans being subjected to unprovoked and unexpected harassment both verbally and physically. 

There have also been reports of racist and homophobic slurs. 

The seven-time champion took to social media to condemn the reports: “Disgusted and disappointed to hear that some fans are facing racist, homophobic and generally abusive behaviour at the circuit this weekend. Attending the Austrian GP or any GP should never be a source of anxiety and pain for fans and something must be done to ensure that races are a safe space for all.

“Please if you see this happening, report it to circuit security and to F1. We cannot sit back and allow this to continue.”

F1 has described the behaviour as “unacceptable” and says it is taking the matter seriously. 

“We have been made aware of reports that some fans have been subject to completely unacceptable comments by others at the event,” an F1 spokesperson told Crash.net. 

“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 behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated and all fans should be treated with respect.”

Who is in charge of security at the Red Bull Ring?

Hey @F1 @fia @Ben_Sulayem @fiawim @Silbellot @redbull @redbullracing, below are a bunch of tweets about people, particularly women, being harassed at the #AustrianGP this weekend. What can they do to protect themselves? https://t.co/GJiZDT5dgV

— Melanie (@MotoMel89) July 9, 2022

Fan behaviour has come under the spotlight recently after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen faced heavy booing throughout the British Grand Prix weekend. 

In Austria, large portions of Verstappen’s fans cheered when Lewis Hamilton and George Russell crashed out of qualifying, leading to criticism from Hamilton and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.