Although Circuit Zandvoort has already made it clear that flares should not be brought into the venue, that hasn’t stopped some fans from sneaking them in.
But the problems turned extreme on Saturday when twice orange flares were thrown onto the track during qualifying.
The first rocket landed in the middle of the circuit and triggered a red flag, while a second rocket towards the end of Q3 at Turn 1 rolled under the pit wall, which meant only a brief yellow flag .
The FIA and track organizers have confirmed that the individual who launched the first flare was arrested by security and handed over to police.
In front of an expected crowd of 100,000 on Sunday, Dutch GP officials urged fans to behave.
In a statement they said: “Not all drivers, Formula One Management, the FIA and the Dutch Grand Prix organization tolerate flares, as Max Verstappen himself mentioned in an interview. post qualification.
“Their use is not permitted and creates very dangerous situations on the track for drivers and other fans.
“The organization again appeals to the common sense of all our fans and warns that the use of flares will not be tolerated.
“The offender who lit the torch on September 3 was reported by passers-by and turned over to authorities by event security.”
Dutch fans make the air orange with flares
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Dutch fan enthusiasm was energizing for F1 but was unimpressed that a few “idiots” had ruined it.
“The atmosphere is great here,” he said. “The enthusiasm for Max has ignited the whole country and it’s perfect to see. My experiences with the fans are positive, and it’s a shame that there are a few idiots who drink or don’t think about what such a rocket on the track can do to a pilot.
“We have seen the pigeons and the flare, and the flare is the most dangerous thing because if such a bomb hits you, we have seen that in the past it can leave consequences and the halo will not help you with that. ”
There were outlandish theories that the launch of the flares had been timed to disrupt Lewis Hamilton’s races in qualifying, but Mercedes said it found no specific evidence to support that claim.
“We looked at the camera angles, when Lewis was crossing the pit lane, and I don’t know if anyone was doing it, but I think it happened before he was actually there,” said he declared.
“So again, a few more idiots, and hopefully the organizers can pick that up with the titles.”
