The Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) have confirmed that an investigation will take place into several safety concerns that arose at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, with one in particular having seen a spectator hit by debris.
Sunday’s race at the Albert Park Circuit was certainly action-packed and full of accidents, with only 12 drivers having finished the third race of the 2023 F1 season.
One of the drivers who failed to finish was Kevin Magnussen, who hit the wall on the exit of Turn Two with just five laps remaining, resulting in his right-rear tyre having flown off his car.
As well as his tyre having fallen off, several pieces of debris flew in the air, including a huge piece of metal, which struck spectator Will Sweet in the arm.
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Street was spoken to after the incident and revealed that he felt “pretty lucky”, with the piece of debris having almost hit his fiancée in the head.
“It’s a great question, I’m not sure,” Sweet told Sunrise when asked what happened.
“I think Kevin Magnussen came around Turn 2, I followed him with my eyes. But straight ahead of me apparently a piece of debris had flown over the fence.
“Lots of people around me moved, and it managed to hit me right in the arm – I had my arm up, I had a radio piece in my ear. I’m not sure what happened really!
“Honestly I’m feeling pretty lucky. It ended up being not as serious as it could have been, the piece of debris was quite large.
“Standing right next to me was my fiancée and she’s a bit shorter than me. So where it hit me in the arm it probably would have hit her right in the head.
“Honestly I’m feeling pretty lucky it wasn’t worse.”
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Sweet being hit by debris wasn’t the only dangerous incident at the Australian GP on Sunday, as a security breach saw fans get trackside whilst the circuit was still live.
Terrifying footage saw fans quite literally hanging from fences and standing in between barriers whilst the closing laps were being completed, with the AGPC having been summoned to the race officials as a result following the conclusion of the race.
As well as this, the AGPC will have speak to the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council, given the severity of both incidents.