Chaos at the Australian Grand Prix—fans left shocked by what was discovered after the race
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Major events often leave behind more than just memories—sometimes, the aftermath is far less glamorous.
As thousands of fans gathered for an electrifying start to the Formula One season in Melbourne, anticipation filled the air.
However, what unfolded both on and off the track sparked a heated discussion.
The Australian Grand Prix drew record crowds to Albert Park, with over 465,498 fans attending across four days, braving unpredictable weather for the season-opening race.
Sunday’s race was marred by torrential rain, leading to six drivers crashing out, including Australian hopefuls Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan.
Lando Norris secured victory, marking his fifth career win, after fending off a late challenge from Max Verstappen.
Piastri, who impressed at his home Grand Prix, skidded off the track midway but managed to continue and finished ninth.
Doohan, however, was not as fortunate, crashing into a barrier earlier in the race and being forced to retire.
Despite the thrilling action on the track, it was the aftermath in the spectator areas that caused an uproar online.
Once the race ended and fans departed, images surfaced on social media showing litter scattered across the banks of Albert Park, prompting backlash from other racegoers.
A social media user posted a photo of the mess, writing: ‘Dear fans, please clean up your mess when you leave.’
Others expressed their disappointment, with one saying: ‘I walked past this, absolutely disgusting the amount of rubbish left dumped.’
Another attendee shared their frustration over fans abandoning not just rubbish but larger items.
They said: ‘I was there and people literally abandoned camp chairs and their junk leaving it for the staff to deal with. Felt pretty embarrassed as an event-goer.”
‘On top of that the lack of awareness of people trying to catch the trams coming home. Crowds just standing in the way of roads with cars trying to pass through a human wall waiting to get on transport. See what happens next year.’
Some fans pointed out that bins had been overflowing, with one person noting: ‘Not saying you’re wrong but unfortunately, the bins were overflowing and there weren’t enough of them. GP corp don’t have the Clean Events contractors anymore either.’
Meanwhile, Piastri reflected on his disappointing finish, admitting his mistake but finding positives in his overall performance.
He said: ‘It's obviously pretty disappointing at the moment.
‘I felt like for every lap apart from one I drove an incredibly strong race and it's just a shame not to land the result to show for it. I obviously don't have anyone to blame but myself. It was a bit unfortunate to get stuck the way I did. But it was only myself that put me there.’
He continued: ‘I think for me the big positive is the other 56 laps of the race. I felt like I had really strong pace and that's what I will try and take away from this weekend as a team and with Lando they made the right decision and with myself, given that I was trying to reverse for about a minute, we still made the right decision.’
‘So I'm proud of the whole team effort this weekend and just a shame not to have a better result.’
‘It would hurt if I had a bad car. But clearly, there was much more on the table than P9 today so it was just a shame to not have that result.’
With record crowds and intense racing action, the Australian Grand Prix delivered plenty of thrills—but did the aftermath overshadow the event? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
As thousands of fans gathered for an electrifying start to the Formula One season in Melbourne, anticipation filled the air.
However, what unfolded both on and off the track sparked a heated discussion.
The Australian Grand Prix drew record crowds to Albert Park, with over 465,498 fans attending across four days, braving unpredictable weather for the season-opening race.
Sunday’s race was marred by torrential rain, leading to six drivers crashing out, including Australian hopefuls Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan.
Lando Norris secured victory, marking his fifth career win, after fending off a late challenge from Max Verstappen.
Record crowds and chaos at Australian Grand Prix. Image source: Ivica Glavas/Speed Media Shutter
Piastri, who impressed at his home Grand Prix, skidded off the track midway but managed to continue and finished ninth.
Doohan, however, was not as fortunate, crashing into a barrier earlier in the race and being forced to retire.
Despite the thrilling action on the track, it was the aftermath in the spectator areas that caused an uproar online.
Once the race ended and fans departed, images surfaced on social media showing litter scattered across the banks of Albert Park, prompting backlash from other racegoers.
A social media user posted a photo of the mess, writing: ‘Dear fans, please clean up your mess when you leave.’
Others expressed their disappointment, with one saying: ‘I walked past this, absolutely disgusting the amount of rubbish left dumped.’
Another attendee shared their frustration over fans abandoning not just rubbish but larger items.
They said: ‘I was there and people literally abandoned camp chairs and their junk leaving it for the staff to deal with. Felt pretty embarrassed as an event-goer.”
‘On top of that the lack of awareness of people trying to catch the trams coming home. Crowds just standing in the way of roads with cars trying to pass through a human wall waiting to get on transport. See what happens next year.’
Some fans pointed out that bins had been overflowing, with one person noting: ‘Not saying you’re wrong but unfortunately, the bins were overflowing and there weren’t enough of them. GP corp don’t have the Clean Events contractors anymore either.’
Meanwhile, Piastri reflected on his disappointing finish, admitting his mistake but finding positives in his overall performance.
He said: ‘It's obviously pretty disappointing at the moment.
‘I felt like for every lap apart from one I drove an incredibly strong race and it's just a shame not to land the result to show for it. I obviously don't have anyone to blame but myself. It was a bit unfortunate to get stuck the way I did. But it was only myself that put me there.’
He continued: ‘I think for me the big positive is the other 56 laps of the race. I felt like I had really strong pace and that's what I will try and take away from this weekend as a team and with Lando they made the right decision and with myself, given that I was trying to reverse for about a minute, we still made the right decision.’
‘So I'm proud of the whole team effort this weekend and just a shame not to have a better result.’
‘It would hurt if I had a bad car. But clearly, there was much more on the table than P9 today so it was just a shame to not have that result.’
With record crowds and intense racing action, the Australian Grand Prix delivered plenty of thrills—but did the aftermath overshadow the event? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
