A Facebook post showing a couple at the F1 track prompted an investigation into security breach and bribery at the Singapore Grand Prix 2017, specifically at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Race organisers have taken the breach seriously and looking into the matter.
A post, dated September 17, on website All Singapore Stuff featured a photo showing a couple of F1 fans posing on the race track late at night. The photo's caption read: "3 am in the morning. Bribed the security guard to let us onto the track. He not only agreed, he took the photo. Non-F1 fans won't understand this, but most of us will". One of the fans in the photo was wearing a McLaren Honda team t-shirt.
"The safety of our patrons is of utmost priority and we view the allegation of bribery seriously. We are working with SRS, the appointed security agency assigned to the reported area, to investigate the claim," a Singapore GP spokesperson stated to The Straits Times.
Not the first time
This isn't the first time that Singapore Grand Prix has been bugged by security issues. 2015 saw a Briton, Yogvitam Pravin Dhokia, entering the Singapore Airlines Grand Prix race track through a gap in the fence. He had walked straight across the Esplanade before anybody could stop him. Dhokia got a six weeks' jail sentence for his rash action.
In 2016, two strange incidents occurred at the Singapore Grand Prix. A giant monitor lizard somehow entered the track during practice, shocking Red Bull's Max Verstappen who exclaimed on the radio: "There's a giant lizard on the track! I'm not joking." A day after this incident, race marshal removing debris from the main straight had to rush out of the way when cars charged towards him following a safety car restart.
This year's championship was on the 10th anniversary of the race in Singapore. It was won by British racing driver Lewis Hamilton, after Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel crashed soon after the race began.
