The organizers of the Austin Grand Prix are facing a costly aftermath. The United States Grand Prix organization is required to pay a fine of half a million euros after fans invaded the track during the drivers’ cool-down lap. The silver lining is that seventy percent of the amount only needs to be in the FIA’s account by the end of 2026.
The two Ferraris and Max Verstappen had barely parked in their designated spots for the podium ceremony when fans at the Circuit of the Americas were already on the track. According to the stewards, “a large group of spectators, estimated to be about two hundred people, climbed a small fence in the grandstand along the pit straight, and fell about two meters to the ground between the grandstand and the debris fence of the track.”
Cars Still on the Track
“They then crawled under the debris fence and climbed over the wall along the track, about a meter high, where they gathered on the straight,” the official statement continues. “This all happened while the participating cars were still on the track to complete their cool-down lap after the checkered flag was waved.”
This was the first time such an incident occurred at COTA. Partly because of this, the company only has to transfer the majority of the fine in 2026. However, it’s not the first time a Grand Prix organizer has been reprimanded for failing to maintain control over the crowd. Earlier this year, the organization behind the Canadian Grand Prix received a warning.
