OCTOBER 19, 1998

Hungary's $1m fine

THE organizers of the Hungarian Grand Prix have been fined $250,000 for the track invasion at the end of this year's event and have been warned that if there is a repetition in the next two years they will have to pay another $750,000.

THE organizers of the Hungarian Grand Prix have been fined $250,000 for the track invasion at the end of this year's event and have been warned that if there is a repetition in the next two years they will have to pay another $750,000. The Hungarians have been given a date on the 1999 calendar but must come up with a satisfactory safety plan to ensure that another track invasion cannot happen. This must be ready for the next FIA World Motor Sports Council when it meets in Monaco on December 11.

While the suspension of the full $1m fine will help the Hungarians, the race organizers are going to have to invest large amounts of money to erect fencing at the track to ensure that fans do not get out of control.

The FIA fine is the same as that imposed on the organizers of the San Marino GP after a similar track invasion in 1996 and underlines the fact that the governing body is worried about what could happen if people are killed during a track invasion.