Formula 1 is undergoing a renaissance of late, or as the kids might say, it's finally come out of its flop era.
Viewership is on the rise, and new fans are flocking to the sport. The renewed passion has brought problems,
with overexuberant fans causing havoc on and off the track.
The Austrian Grand Prix was a particular low point, with attendees describing many incidents of abuse,
much of it homophobic, sexist, or racist in nature. Reports of physical and verbal attacks flooded in,
with Formula 1 officially releasing a statement condemning the behavior of some in the stands.
as covered by Motorsport.com. Multiple orange flares were thrown from the stands towards the track on Saturday.
One caused a red flag during Q2, while another caused a brief yellow flag during Q3. Meanwhile,
abuse raged once more, with Alpha Tauri condemning the hateful comments directed to Red Bull strategy head Hannah Schmitz.
Flares thrown on track disrupted qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix. Getty Images
It's clear that certain fans have little respect for fellow racegoers in the stands, the drivers themselves, or indeed,
F1 itself. There are already rules against disrespectful behavior towards other fans, let alone physically assaulting them as was reported in Austria.
Similarly, most tracks have maintained long-standing bans against incendiary devices, flares, and other such items.
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