During the Austrian Grand Prix, some fans reported inappropriate behavior in the stands of the Red Bull Ring circuit, where many even applauded the accident suffered by Lewis Hamilton in qualifying. At that time they were followers of Max Verstappen, but both the Dutchman and his rival in the last Formula 1 season expressed their disagreement with the comments that were heard in the stands.
The category was forced to make a statement in which they denounced this type of action by the fans, they even launched a campaign against abuse in which all the drivers participated with a video posted on their social networks.
Now, after several races in which the situation seemed to calm down, it seems that the improper behavior of no person, without exception, has returned. According to some sources, the organization of the Grand Prix of the Netherlands received reports of cases of racism, sexual intimidation and homophobia, as happened in Spielberg.
The founder of the fan club in Zandvoort, Svenja Tillemans , explained to NOS that since Friday there have been 25 complaints of women being yelled at, groped and having unwanted videos and photos taken. As indicated by the Dutch television channel, no report has been filed with the police, but the organizers of the race received at least one formal complaint.
In a written reaction, the agency states that they do not tolerate unwelcome and intimidating behavior, where “every incident is addressed, and all visitors are intended to have a safe and pleasant stay.”
One of the people who suffered this harassment in the stands of the Dutch track explained to the local media what happened to him: “I had been wanting to come for two years, but after the last experiences of the weekend, I don’t think I want to return to Formula 1”.
“My knees are swollen, and I’ve had to put on Band-Aids. I’ve heard men say ‘she had a good time on her knees this afternoon,’ ‘she was very busy last night,’ and ‘without those bandages, you can see she’s a fucking slut. ‘” he assured. “I have never felt so dirty, humiliated, inferior and insecure at an event, so we went home as quickly as possible after the race.”
This is the type of behavior that should not be seen in any sporting event or in life beyond any situation, since all people deserve respect and equality, values that Formula 1 has strongly defended in several campaigns such as that of ‘We Race as One’.
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