Austrian Grand Prix

Boozy F1 festivals getting out of hand with fan abuse - Russell

Sam Hall Tuesday 12 July 2022 09:10

Boozy F1 festivals getting out of hand with fan abuse - Russell

George Russell has slated the vile sexist, racist and homophobic abuse experienced by a number of fans at the Austrian Grand Prix after things got "out of hand".

F1 released a statement condemning the behaviour of a group of fans ahead of Sunday's race at the Red Bull Ring after receiving reports of abuse.

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/86942/horner-shocked-by-racist-sexist-and-homophobic-fan-abuse/, driver Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton are among those to have denounced the "unacceptable" behaviour with the Silver Arrows also welcoming a victim of abuse at the circuit into their garage.

F1's popularity has risen massively recently with the Red Bull Ring welcoming 303,000 fans across the weekend generating a festival atmosphere.

Asked if F1 has a culture problem, Russell said: "It feels like every race we go to now is like this big festival which I think is great to a degree but I'm sure there is a lot of booze going around and clearly things do get out of hand.

"Obviously, more needs to be done to stop this sort of behaviour. It's horrifying to hear and read about this and if anyone is having any of these comments, people need to speak up and it needs to be spoken about.

"I think Formula 1 as a sport is generally really on the up and when things are expanded so substantially, there is inevitably going to be issues along the way and things need to be done."

Additional reporting by Ian Parkes

Latest News

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Vettel issues Cadillac 2026 seat verdict as shock EXIT leads to scathing assessment

12 minutes ago

Alpine

Racing legend Mick Doohan shares PROOF his son deserved to keep F1 seat

1 hour ago

F1 Social

Perez Red Bull exit opens up big 'BREAK' for F1 star

2 hours ago

F1 News & Gossip

Franco Colapinto debut set to trigger huge change as F1 heads for Imola

3 hours ago

Latest F1 News

Lewis Hamilton lifts lid over ‘pressure to conform’ in F1

Today 10:57

Latest F1 News

Sebastian Vettel backs axed F1 star for 2026 Cadillac seat

Today 09:43

More news

F1 Race Calendar 2025

GP AUSTRALIA 14 - 16 Mar

GP BAHRAIN 11 - 13 Apr

Oscar Piastri

GP SAUDI ARABIA 18 - 20 Apr

GP MONACO 23 - 23 May

GP SPAIN 30 May - 1 Jun

GP CANADA 13 - 15 Jun

GP AUSTRIA 27 - 27 Jun

GP GREAT BRITAIN 4 - 6 Jul

Complete kalender 2025

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY

Boozy F1 festivals getting out of hand with fan abuse - Russell

Boozy F1 festivals getting out of hand with fan abuse - Russell