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The United States Grand Prix promoter has been handed a hefty fine that could rise to €500,000 for a premature track invasion at the end of its 2024 Formula 1 race.
In recent years, the FIA has been clamping down hard on promoters who fail to stop spectators from joining the track while there are cars still circulating.
Now the US GP promoter (Circuit of The Americas LLC) has faced the wrath of the F1 stewards for a track invasion on the cooldown lap of Sunday's US GP.
"A large group of spectators, estimated at approximately 200 people, in the grandstand alongside pit straight, climbed a small fence and dropped around two metres to the ground between the grandstand and the track debris fencing," a stewards' report read.
"They then went under the debris fencing and climbed over the trackside wall [approximately one metre high] and then merged onto the main straight. All this occurred whilst the competing cars were still on track completing their cooldown lap after the chequered flag."
The stewards found this to be in breach of Article 12.2.1.h of the FIA's International Sporting Code which refers to a "failure to take reasonable measures thus resulting in an unsafe situation".
It was noted that the Circuit of The Americas has until now avoided such an incident since it joined the F1 calendar 12 years ago.
But given crowd behaviour "is an evolving issue", the stewards said it was the promoter's responsibility to ensure that "public safety precautions evolve accordingly".
The stewards believe "it wasn't unreasonable to expect that the incursion which occurred could have been foreseen".
It was ruled that the promoter's safety plan for spectators was well implemented but contained a blindspot for a potential incursion area, leading the stewards to conclude that the promoter had breached the ISC.
The stewards therefore ruled the promoter must submit "a formal remediation plan" by the end of the year that adequately addresses the issues that led to this breach as well as identifying sites of potential future incursions.
They also handed the promoter a €500,000 fine, €350,000 of which is suspended until the end of 2026 on the basis that no further track invasions occur during any FIA championship event at COTA.
It has been recommended that the unsuspended €150,000 portion of the fine should go towards the FIA's road safety efforts.
Within their verdict, the stewards noted the large volume of track incursions in recent years.
Albert Park banned fans from coming onto the track after the race earlier this year due to its track invasion problems in 2023. Last year the Brazilian GP promoter was scolded for an "unacceptable situation" that risked "disastrous consequences".
