Drivers have raised concern over some of the fans getting a bit too extreme at the paddock during the Mexican GP weekend. At the Drivers’ briefing, AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly revealed that while trying to make his way through the paddock he was swarmed by fans and he later found his bag opened.
McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has therefore suggested guidelines to be set for fans allowed to enter the paddock. His suggestion was supported by his teammate Lando Norris.
Amazing energy in Mexico and busy paddocks are great, but drivers rightly worried about *some* over-zealous behaviour grabbing them and chasing them. One team member mentioned helping a child up who’d been knocked over – it all just needs calming down a little bit #F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/oV4BzZx8xt
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) October 30, 2022
The growing popularity of the sport has led to a massive turnout of fans on the paddock. Last weekend, the United States Grand Prix recorded an attendance of about 440,000 fans while about 400,000 fans are expected to make their presence over the Mexican GP weekend.
The drivers are not concerned about too many photographs or autographs but about fans getting carried away by their behaviour and not respecting boundaries.
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Pierre Gasly is worried about getting mobbed
Fans in the paddocks are mostly guests invited by the teams or F1 or people who have a certain type of ticket that allows access. Usually, the majority of people are the guests invited by the teams.
But speaking further at the drivers’ briefings, Gasly explained that his team had guests in garages who were not invited by AlphaTauri. The Frenchman said that the guests are coming in the garages before qualifying and practice sessions.
He added that this weekend he was worried about stepping out of the hospitality out of the fear of getting mobbed.
🇲🇽Lots of love from the Mexican fans for Carlos! VAMOS CHILI 🌶️🫶🏻#CarlosSainz #MexicoGP #F1ESTA pic.twitter.com/0n42IWjb0j
— Carlos Sainz News (@CSainzNews) October 28, 2022
Another driver told The Race that they have been mobbed between the hospitality and the garage to the point of being physically grabbed.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc also said that it has always been crazy but the intensity is much more this time around.
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FIA to investigate overcrowding in the paddock
Following the concerns raised by the drivers, the FIA has now decided to launch an investigation into the overcrowding of fans at the paddock.
An FIA spokesperson said that as part of the wider security and safety of their drivers they have already introduced stricter parc ferme regulations this season.
However, it is known that paddock passes are not offered by the FIA rather it falls under the jurisdiction of F1 itself.
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