F1 drivers have come together to discourage protesters from disrupting the British Grand Prix through on-track demonstrations due to protest. McLaren driver Oscar Piastri strongly believes that no cause justifies endangering lives in such a manner. Last year, during the British Grand Prix, Just Stop Oil protesters invaded the track. Resulting in a red flag due to a major accident involving Zhou Guanyu. As a consequence, six individuals were convicted of conspiring to cause a public nuisance.
Piastri on Thursday of the possibility of a protest;
“Everyone’s advice is just don’t run onto a live racetrack, there’s no cause that’s good enough to excuse that. I saw they were at Wimbledon yesterday and they were at The Ashes a few weeks ago. It’s one thing to go onto a tennis court or a cricket pitch, but not a racetrack. So I hope everyone stays sensible.”
To ensure the safety of this year’s event, security measures have been heightened. The Northampton shire police announced that they would deploy additional resources and utilize new policing powers. Introduced under the Public Order Act 2023 to counter any unlawful attempts to disrupt the race. George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and a Mercedes driver, expressed his trust in the event organizers, F1, and the FIA. He supported the increased safety measures implemented during the race weekend. Including the presence of specialist police and live facial recognition cameras. That can detect individuals on a watchlist generated by the police.
Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time F1 world champion, stated “His support for peaceful protests and the fundamental principles the protesters stand for“. However, he cautioned against taking any actions on the track due to the inherent safety risks involved. The drivers are well aware that there is a likelihood of protests aiming to disrupt the race, even if they may not mirror last year’s on-track incident.
Williams driver Alex Albon expects further discussions with the FIA throughout the weekend to gain a better understanding of the existing plans in place to address potential disruptions.
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