Max Verstappen calls for alcohol consumption regulations after abuse allegations at Austrian GP

Verstappen has called for regulations on alcohol consumption at F1 Grand Prix's

Max Verstappen has called for the level of alcohol consumed by fans at Formula One Grand Prix's to be regulated following several allegations of abuse at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix. Reports on social media included accusations of sexual harassment, homophobic and racial abuse at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.

A large contingent of Dutch fans travelled to watch Verstappen race

Many of those in attendance were there to see Verstappen in action, with an estimated 60,000 making the trip to see the current world champion. One report from a female attendee claimed that five Dutch supporters lifted up her dress and said: "No [Lewis] Hamilton fan deserves respect." And Verstappen has said that more of an effort needs to be made to clamp down on behaviour which may have occurred as a result of alcohol consumption. He said: "One thing that can be improved is the security around places to keep people more in check. "These things can be regulated. There is a certain amount of alcohol a person should have until it is time to go to bed and wake up sober the next morning because if you start to go crazy, you can do stupid things."

Lewis Hamilton has called for more support from the F1 campaign 'We Race as One'

Fans were also heard cheering as Lewis Hamilton crashed during the second qualifying session in Austria on Friday, and the Mercedes driver admitted he found the experience "mind-bowing" and called for more support to stop incidents like this. "It goes back to some of the messaging that we talked about in terms of what we need to do here within the sport, which is commit more to diversity and inclusion within our industry," the 37-year-old said. "That reflects the direction we’re going and it reflects what our fan-base will look like It’s time for action. [F1’s] ‘We Race as One’ campaign was all good and well, but it was just words. It didn’t actually do anything. "There was no funding towards anything. There was no programme to actually create change and spark that conversation. We really have to step up and actually start actioning some of the things we’re saying. Just saying it, is not enough." A statement from F1 confirmed that they would be investigation into the allegations, which they described as "completely unacceptable."

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