Police hunt Silverstone F1 steering wheel thief as 20 British GP arrests made
A steering wheel from an iconic classic Formula 1 car, valued at over £2,500, was stolen from a vintage motor on show at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix. It was one of several incidents reported to police after a spate of damage caused to vehicles on site at the Northamptonshire circuit.
The engineer in charge of the classic car, the Leyton House CG901 designed by Adrian Newey and raced in the 1990 F1 season, lamented the lax security, and said the theft had left a "sour taste in the mouth" regarding the event. The incident occurred at around 2.30pm on Friday as the team ate their lunch.
Race engineer Russell Sheppard spoke of how the 1990 Leyton House CG901 was scheduled for a track run and only managed to participate thanks to a replacement wheel found at the last minute. Sheppard, employed by Martin Stretton Racing, declared the stolen wheel irreplaceable.
"We'd just left the car for lunch, we came back and went to do some work on the car, and it's like, 'Where's the steering wheel?'" he told the Press Association. "It's very sad, because it's an original piece of the car, original piece of history for it."
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Northamptonshire Police have circulated a CCTV image of an individual they're keen to question in relation to the theft. Sheppard said he just wants to see the steering wheel returned to the car where it belongs.
He said: "It's bespoke to the car, because the 1990s cars, the cockpits are so small you have to have a small wheel with a very small grip on it. I've been speaking to the people who made it in Italy originally, and sadly, they don't produce them anymore. We've got to go down the road of getting one bespoke made. It's just the hassle, it's the cost, it's an unnecessary procedure you have to go through which we shouldn't have to be doing."
Another historic F1 car exhibited by the team was treated "like a climbing frame" by attendees, Sheppard said, while an additional vehicle suffered damage worth thousands when someone attempted to clamber inside, according to police.
Sheppard said: "We had a Forti, another 1996 Formula 1 car on one of the other stands, and people were just using it like a climbing frame. We haven't seen any damage on that yet. We're just about going through it today.
"We're here to show off history and keep things moving and alive. People doing things like this, sadly, it puts a sour taste in your mouth. Hopefully next time, security will be even more. Sadly, the security guards aren't security people. They're just people that stand there. They're not being informed of what to do and how to do it."
The event drew a massive crowd, with around 500,000 people visiting the circuit over the weekend. On Sunday, 168,000 people witnessed Lando Norris clinch his first-ever British Grand Prix victory. During the event, police reported a total of 34 crimes, including theft, criminal damage, assault and drug possession, resulting in 20 arrests.
A classic Formula 1 car exhibited at Silverstone suffered "several thousands of pounds worth of damage", according to police. The damage was allegedly caused by an individual who "accessed the display stand and climbed into the vehicle".
Three men, aged 23, 25 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage but were subsequently released without any further action. One of them was popular YouTuber AngryGinge who said he spent 15 hours in a cell overnight and maintained he had done nothing wrong.
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Sheppard said: "To my colleagues in the Scottish Government, it is time to think again about the fact that Scottish Enterprise has a relationship with these [arms manufacturing] companies. "That needs to be ended. It cannot be justified by saying, 'oh, none of the money goes to produce arms, it's a completely different part of the company, nothing to do with arms exports'. "Do you remember in the 1970s and 1980s when we fought against apartheid and we campaigned to boycott Barclays? No one said 'let's boycott Barclays but make an exemption when they're funding community projects locally'. Tommy Sheppard (Image: Laura Pollock) "No, the whole point of boycotting and taking action against the company is to make sure that they understand that their actions in one part of the world have consequences for everything else they do elsewhere. "That is that is how we apply leverage and that is what we must do as well." He later told me the shift in Israel's assault with their plans for a concentration camp in Gaza is the key reason the stance by the Scottish Government must reviewed. READ MORE: Garbage join growing artist coalition against pro-Palestine censorship "They [the Scottish Government] have to stop being scared when the other side are trying to demonise us and trying to make us worry that we're going to arrested for turning up," Sheppard said. Riddoch took to the microphone next and was visibly emotional when sharing her anger at arrests made following the proscription of Palestine Action. "We can remember situations in the past like this and thought this would never happen again, when people are wondering if the police will arrest someone for wearing a t-shirt," she said. "So the point is, as everybody here has said, this is a genocide, as everyone is saying here together, Palestine needs action and we will all go together on that one." Lesley Riddoch (Image: Laura Pollock) She later spoke directly to officers in the crowd, adding: "Now I'm appealing to the police. I know it's tough. You are moral citizens as well. "Do we look like terrorists?" Later, MacAskill spoke outside Bute House: "Many countries have had the courage that the UK are only going to face in terms of a conviction at The Hague in some day to come. "Take a bow South Africa, Spain, Ireland." He continued: "We do wish to see the hostages returned, but it's nothing to do with them. Kenny MacAskill (Image: Laura Pollock) "Netanyahu's war is about the obliteration of Gaza and the colonization of Palestine and the removal of its people. "That's what it is. That's why we have to speak out." Doha Abu Amer, a Palestinian woman who has family in Gaza, Colin Brown from the Fire Brigades Union Scotland, and Billy Hendry, an ex-Royal Marine, all spoke as well. There were several chants calling out both Keir Starmer and John Swinney, telling them "you can't hide" - many by children. "She is driving a lot of things," one of the mothers told me of her 11-year-old daughter, "even at school, she was trying to do a bake sale for Palestine. I have to catch up with what she is wanting to do. Our kids today are so aware of what is going on. "You cannot push children to do something if they don't believe in it in their hearts." When activists put on t-shirts that others have been arrested for, the crowd cheered and I looked towards Police Scotland officers in the crowd. One liaison officer took a picture of them, and the pair spoke to each other, but no action was taken. "Strength in numbers," Riddoch later questioned on social media after everyone made it home. READ MORE: Uniformed police pulled from Glasgow Pride over 'impartiality' concerns Deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan, who leads the policing operation in Westminster where more than 100 activists have been arrested over the last two weeks, warned on Friday that those expressing support for Palestine Action 'will likely be committing an offence and will very likely be arrested'. He added: 'I would urge those people to consider the seriousness of being arrested under the Terrorism Act and the very real long-term implications – from travel, to employment, to finances – that such an arrest is likely to have for their future.' After the march, Riddoch told me: "A lot of people in my family were saying 'if you get lifted for a terrorism charge, you'll never be able to go anywhere with your passport again'. "This is the kind of stuff they're doing to just drive complete fear of saying: this is a genocide."
