A piece of carbon fiber from Haas driver Kevin Magnussen’s car hit an F1 fan in the stands.
There were pieces of carbon fiber flying in the Australian race. PDO
The Australian competition was full of events.
In the race, we saw out-of-bounds and crashes, and the race was stopped due to red flags a few times.
In the final stages of the race, they wavered again when the Haas driver Kevin Magnussen crashed his car into the wall.
In the crash, a lot of carbon fiber pieces and parts from the rim flew into the air. One piece of carbon fiber flew 20 meters in the air and went over the fence erected on the side of the track.
Palanen finally hit the unlucky F1 fan in the hand.
Australian GP race coordinator Andrew Westacott told Autosport according to that a piece of carbon fiber made a wound in the fan’s hand, but the most serious injuries were avoided.
– Our staff is aware of what happened. It seems like an isolated case, because these fences do not reach a height of 20 meters.
Westacott says that fences are of a certain height all over the world. The fences on the Albert Park track were in accordance with the regulations of the international automobile association FIA.
– But as with everything in motorsport, reports are made after the events and see where improvements can be made. I hope this guy is okay. It’s a reminder that safety comes first in F1.
At the end of the race, another dangerous situation was seen, when some of the spectators climbed the fences and broke through between the fences onto the side of the track.
At the same time, the race was still going on and the cars were driving past them at quite a high speed. Spectators are usually only allowed on the track after the race is over.
Due to the incident, Westacott met with Fia officials. He plans to go through the end-of-race protocol with Motorsport Australia officials, security and service providers and Victoria Police.
– Here, a very solid protocol was clearly violated, which is developed and improved every year. Something clearly did not go right and an investigation is already underway.
Westacott hopes that fans will not be denied access to the track when the race is over.
– I don’t think such a ban is needed either.
In the end, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen drove to victory in the Australian race. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was second and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso third.
The next F1 race will not be held until May Day in Azerbaijan.