Simply Cease Oil protestors invaded the observe at the start of final 12 months’s British Grand Prix; The race had already been crimson flagged after an enormous first-corner crash involving Zhou Guanyu, George Russell and Alex Albon.

Simply Cease Oil protestors precipitated “a direct threat of significant hurt” to Method 1 drivers and race marshals by invading the observe throughout final 12 months’s British Grand Prix, prosecutors have claimed.

A jury at Northampton Crown Court docket was proven in-car footage of drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon passing three males and two ladies who have been sitting on and being dragged off Silverstone’s Wellington Straight final July.

Video recorded by Lewis Hamilton’s automotive passing protesters shortly earlier than the observe invasion was additionally proven in the course of the Crown’s opening speech – together with video statements issued by 5 of six defendants who’re on trial.

David Baldwin, 47, Emily Brocklebank, 24, Alasdair Gibson, 22, Louis McKechnie, 22, Bethany Mogie, 40, and Joshua Smith, 29, all deny inflicting a public nuisance on the Northamptonshire circuit in July final 12 months.

Brocklebank, of Yeadon, Leeds; Gibson, from Aberdeen; Mogie, from St Albans; McKechnie, from Manchester; and Smith, from Lees in Oldham, went on to the race circuit in the course of the protest.

Baldwin, of Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, was present in a carpark together with glue, cable ties and a Simply Cease Oil banner and is alleged by the Crown to have been “in it collectively” together with his co-defendants.

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The British Grand Prix was crimson flagged on lap one after an enormous first-corner crash which despatched Guanyu Zhou upsidedown into the catch fencing

Opening the prosecution case on Wednesday, prosecutor Simon Jones advised the court docket: “This case issues the actions of six Simply Cease Oil protesters.

“The prosecution say that these defendants dedicated a prison act of public nuisance. As occasions unfolded, the F1 Grand Prix had began and it was below a crimson flag after a critical accident had occurred on the very begin.

“Every of those defendants have been current at Silverstone they usually have been intent on inflicting a disruption to the race.

“It’s not in dispute that 5 of the defendants on this case – all of them save for David Baldwin – made it onto the race observe and they didn’t have permission to be there.

“There is no such thing as a dispute as to that, they usually sat down in entrance of the continued automobiles – Method 1 motor racing automobiles.

“They are going to inevitably say that this was accomplished as an act of protest and with a purpose to carry publicity to the trigger and demand they make – of no new oil and fuel licences.”

Video footage from numerous digicam angles protecting Silverstone was performed to the jury, in addition to private video statements from 5 of the defendants recorded a day earlier than the protest, together with a declare that the world is “being destroyed for the good thing about a couple of individuals”.

Earlier than the video compilation was performed to the court docket, Jones advised the jury of seven ladies and 5 males: “You will note the second they bought on the observe, having initially waited for a lot of the automobiles to move.

“You’ll then see two Method 1 racing automobiles driving previous the protesters… whereas 5 of the defendants have been on the observe.

“You will note marshals having to run onto the observe and drag the protesters off to the aspect.

“The prosecution say that there was clearly a direct threat of significant hurt being precipitated. Plainly they might have been struck by fast-moving automobiles with apparent extreme penalties.

“We are saying that their actions additionally precipitated threat to the drivers themselves and the marshals.”