Sebastian Vettel ended his victory drought with a win at Interlagos - but the 2017 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix won’t be remembered for the action on the track.
In four separate incidents, officials from the FIA and members of the Sauber, Williams and Mercedes teams were mugged at gunpoint or targeted by armed robbers as they travelled from the Sao Paulo circuit.
World champion Lewis Hamilton called on F1 to improve its security in Brazil following the gunpoint robbery of some of his Mercedes teammates after their van was stopped on Friday evening. Mercedes said they were all “safe and uninjured”, but Hamilton believes something needs to be done.
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Writing on Twitter, Hamilton said: “Some of my team were held up at gunpoint last night leaving the circuit here in Brazil. Guns shots fired, gun held at one’s head.
“This is so upsetting to hear. Please say a prayer for my guys who are here as professionals today, even if shaken.
“This happens every single year here. F1 and the teams need to do more, there’s no excuse!”
All the same, Hamilton wants F1 to keep hosting races in Brazil. He told The Times: “I think we definitely need to continue racing here.
“I honestly don’t know anything about the politics, how the crime rate is or if it’s improving or not. I think the incident that happened with us, I don’t think you can implement something immediately the next day.
“But this weekend has definitely highlighted, more than it ever has, that it’s an issue, so hopefully for next time it’s sorted.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff added: “Brazil is a wonderful country, but we should not need armoured vehicles to travel safely from the hotel to the track.”
Meanwhile, Sauber senior strategy engineer Ruth Buscombe posted a picture on Twitter of her team’s van after it was deliberately hit by another car in an attempted robbery on Saturday night. She said: “We even left at an odd time, late, but they either followed us or were alerted of a van heading that way, past the end of the police presence near the track.”
Williams’ Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, who is retiring at the end of the season, said he was ashamed by the incidents in his home town.
Speaking to Fox Sports Asia, he said: “We always expect the best for our country. A safe country that we can educate our children, good hospitals, and when we hear problems like this, it is very sad.
“Because you are Brazilian, you are feeling part of the problem. So it is a great sadness, not only for people who came and were there but also for those who hear this and are Brazilian. In the future, we can change this.
“It just shows how much the country needs to evolve. We race in Mexico, we’ve raced in India, and I don’t know if it’s any more dangerous than there. But it is a problem for the people in charge who need to give security for whoever is here.”
Competing in his final Brazilian Grand Prix, Massa also revealed that he won’t return to live in his country when he retires.
In an interview with Brazilian TV network Globo, he said: “I love Brazil, but at the moment I will not go back [to live]. My son is studying in Monaco, he speaks three languages, which is important for his future. Maybe in the future I would love to return to a better and safer country.”
