Formula 1 chiefs have stepped in after a swathe of reports of abhorrent fan behaviour at the Austrian Grand Prix.
So far at this weekend's event, TV cameras have given the impression of a well-attended and jovial affair, with plenty of support for Red Bull at their home race, and particularly Max Verstappen. Dig a little deeper, though, and there is evidence that not all is well on the ground.
Several upset race-goers have used social media to speak about their experiences, with some suffering from horrid abuse from other fans at the track. The various complaints include examples of alleged racism, homophobia and misogyny.
One female spectator said they had only been at the venue for around 90 minutes before they were targeted. "I got a misogynistic comment," they wrote on Twitter. "And afterwards it went downhill with inappropriate touching and many more misogynistic comments."
"The behaviour has been... disappointing," said another in attendance at the Red Bull Ring. "My expectations were low but holy cow, racist, homophobic slurs, cat-calling, inappropriate talking and touching the list goes on."
In response, F1 chiefs released a statement in which they said they had been in contact with the race promotor over the situation. "We have been made aware of reports that some fans have been subject to completely unacceptable comments by others at the event," a spokesperson said.
"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."
In response, security and stewarding presence in the grandstands is being increased as well as in other areas around the track where fans generally gather to watch the racing action. Anyone who suffers or witnesses such abuse is encouraged to contact their nearest official.
Meanwhile, Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton also took aim at some sections of the crowd after his hefty qualifying crash was cheered loudly. "I didn't hear them during [the accident], I mean, I was going through a bunch of stuff in the crash," said the Brit when quizzed on the subject.
"But to hear it afterwards, you know, I don't agree or condone any of that no matter what. A driver could have been in hospital. And you're going to cheer that? I mean, it's just mind-blowing that people will do that, just knowing how dangerous our sport is.
"And I'm grateful that I wasn't in hospital, and I wasn't heavily injured, but you should never cheer someone's downfall or someone's injury or crash. It shouldn't have happened in Silverstone, even though it wasn't obviously a crash, and it shouldn't have happened here."
