(Motorsports news) The Mexican Grand Prix organizers have listened to the drivers’ concerns and are working with F1 to decrease the amount of people roaming the paddock for this weekend’s race. Gasly brought up the problem again during the Italian Grand Prix, where he had been approached by strangers inside the Alpine hospitality. While F1 has sought to make the sport more accessible, overcrowding has had the opposite effect, forcing drivers to consciously avoid the paddock in order to move about.
Last year’s race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez had security concerns due to the large number of fans and VIPs in the paddock, with people crowding hospitality units and accosting drivers. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly observed someone had opened his rucksack, and others of his friends had also expressed concern about the amount of paddock residents.
“We have been working hand in hand with Formula 1 to see how we can reduce the requests,” said Rodrigo Sanchez, the Mexican GP’s marketing director. “There are a lot of requests from teams and sponsors that are coming in and we have to find a way to keep those lists as small as possible, so that we can have a much more comfortable environment in the paddock.”
The organizers of Mexican GP have also put together a marketing campaign to encourage spectators to show more respect to drivers and to impress upon them that the paddock is first and foremost a working location. Massive billboards throughout the city urge spectators to leave the rivalries to the drivers on the track.
“The paddock is a working area for the drivers and teams,” Sanchez said. “Those few who have the privilege of being able to enter this restricted area of the racetrack should know how to behave in a certain way, and we expect them to be role models.” Otherwise, the race will fail.”
Red Bull is said to have increased security to protect Verstappen and other key team members, a routine that was previously implemented for the Dutchman’s home race in Zandvoort. “We are using security as we always do and have worked with the promoter and F1 to ensure the safety of the team and the public alike,” Red Bull said in a statement.
