F1 brings big crowds to the Marina — and plenty of chaos
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Streetlight views of the big race. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
An estimated 40,000 people descended upon the Marina on Saturday to watch Formula 1 race cars roar down the streets — and San Francisco is dealing with the fallout.
Why it matters: While the high-octane, Red Bull-hosted spectacle drew massive crowds, social media posts showing the lengths people went to catch a glimpse have ignited concerns over public safety, traffic and crowding.
State of play: Criticism of the event, which featured drivers (including Mayor Lurie at one point) tearing down a 0.8-mile route, began shortly after it concluded.
- Because there were no bleachers, visibility was limited beyond the front row. Videos shared to Instagram show people climbing trees, traffic lights, utility poles, private balconies and even roofs to get a good view of the action.
- There were also reports of physical altercations as people pushed to get through crowds.
The atmosphere felt "extremely chaotic — very 'every person for themselves,'" Lower Haight resident Taylor Yamada told Axios via email. "It took away from what could have been a really incredible experience."
- "I was genuinely so excited when Red Bull announced it would be coming to the Bay Area ... [but] I don't think the execution fully supported the size of the crowd," Yamada said. "The event's infrastructure just wasn't built to handle the volume of people who showed up."
- The San Francisco Standard cited neighbors sharing stories about people urinating in yards, attempting to break into residences and scaling roofs, as well as broken windows and garage doors.
- "It was chaos," Patrick Souris told the Standard. "It was terrible."
Zoom in: San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) spokesperson Robert Rueca told Axios via email that no arrests were made in relation to the event, but that SFPD "did receive several calls of spectators accessing private property in an attempt to view the event as well as missing juveniles who were safely located."
- Rueca declined to provide how many officers were on site, but called the event "extremely safe" and noted that officers were assigned throughout the venue and surrounding neighborhoods.
Between the lines: Though San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) personnel and police officers were present, several attendees noted a lack of response from law enforcement at certain times.
- Souris told the Standard he saw only a few cop cars and that officers were "just sitting there chilling." One person who appeared to have passed out did not immediately receive medical assistance, he added.
- Exiting the Marina after the event was also a struggle, according to Yamada.
What they're saying: "Clearly people in the bay are desperate for interesting and fun events like this and the city should learn from this to continue to offer interesting and new events, but they need to have better planning," a user posted in the San Francisco subreddit Sunday.
- Red Bull did not immediately return requests for comment.