Ring intruder

“I’ve never paid entry to a race before”

Ex-intruder Franz Kreuzspiegel was invited to Spielberg as a VIP.(Bild: Stefan Burgstaller)

Some people tried it again this time. They wanted to watch the Austrian Grand Prix without a ticket. But they failed because of the security. Perhaps they should have sought advice from Franz Kreuzspiegel. The Lower Austrian has been sneaking onto the track at Formula 1 races for years.

Kreuzspiegel even made it as far as the pit walls. This time he was in Spielberg with a ticket, even strolling through the paddock with a pink VIP ribbon. His former "opponent" of all people made this possible for him

Christoph Ammann is the head of Formula 1 trackside security CAM Security, but he doesn't hold grudges. He remembers Kreuzspiegel's actions in the 1980s with a smile. Today, the two are on first-name terms and Ammann even invited the 66-year-old to this year's race in Austria.

"He once tried to sneak onto the track as a McLaren mechanic. His bad luck was that he had a Marlboro emblem on his chest, but there was a ban on advertising at the time," laughs Ammann. "That was in Hockenheim," recalls Kreuzspiegel, "I didn't know about the advertising ban, but I was let in anyway."

Right up to the pit wall

"At the beginning, I didn't think it would work so well," reveals the ex-ring intruder. And remembers: "When a McLaren mechanic left with two canisters, I asked him if I could help him - and I was inside." The most important aid was a piece of fabric with a sponsor on it: "I had a yellow-colored shirt with the Agip logo sewn on the back. You just tried it. And I was already leaning against the pit wall at the Hungaroring."

At the beginning of the 80s, Kreuzspiegel founded a Gerhard Berger fan club, organized fan meetings with his idol and bus trips to races. Which he later also attended with a ticket. Like this year in Spielberg. Although he smiles: "I've never paid admission to a race! I either snuck in or got a ticket as a gift."