formula 1One of the smoke bombs that was thrown on the Zandvoort circuit during Formula 1 qualifying on Saturday appears to come from a security guard. The man wanted to remove the smoke pot from a stand, but according to the organization that went wrong by accident.
Spectator Sven de Zinger from Purmerend did not know what he was experiencing when he saw a security guard walking with a smoke bomb on Saturday. He happened to film the incident and saw the man throw the bright orange smoke off the grandstand, right towards the track. Bystanders were in disbelief, as can be heard in the video that has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media. “My dear boy, he just throws it on the track”, it sounds indignant.
The security guard does not seem to be aware of any harm. The video shows how the man then triumphantly claps his hands and seems convinced that he has done the right thing. ,,But by throwing at the track, he did the exact opposite. Fortunately, the track here had a slope and the smoke bomb did not stay there. Otherwise we would have had a red flag,” says De Zinger.
Spokesperson Simon Keijzer of Formula 1 in Zandvoort confirms that a security guard is involved in the incident. ,,It was a well-intentioned move that was unfortunately executed incorrectly. The security guard saw a smoke pot between the audience, picked it up and of course should have solved it behind the stands. On impulse, he acted wrong. That’s unfortunate, but it was well-intentioned.”
The security guard was not arrested by the police. “The incident has been evaluated and that’s it for us. We hire security companies. More than five hundred people were working for us. Then mistakes can be made,” says Keijzer.
Once, the organization had to temporarily stop qualifying on Saturday because a smoke bomb was left on the road. Max Verstappen denounced the man from Twente who was removed from the public and arrested for causing the incident. “It’s really stupid to throw something like that on the track. I think they caught him quickly and that’s a good thing, because this is not a good thing. Those plumes of smoke are quite nice to see, but to a limited extent and only in the stands,” said the Red Bull driver. ,,A smoke candle like this doesn’t belong on the track, that’s not fun, because it can be dangerous for the drivers. It’s also a stupid move, because that man has been removed and can’t see the race tomorrow.”
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