Toto Wolff questioned if one of the flares thrown onto the track during Dutch Grand Prix qualifying was aimed at Lewis Hamilton as he described the potentially "lethal consequences" of such actions.
Saturday's session was marred by poor behaviour from a handful of fans at Zandvoort. Part of the session was delayed by several minutes after one orange flare was thrown onto the track at the start of Q2, before a second fortunately bounced over the track and into the pit lane.
The session did not have to be stopped that second time, as it was not impeding anyone on the track. But Wolff said Mercedes had reviewed how that second missile had been thrown, and worried it might have been aimed at Hamilton.
"We looked at the camera angles and Lewis was going through the pit lane," he said. "I don't know if somebody threw it at him but it happened before he was actually at that point. Again, a few idiots and I hope that the organisers are having a grip on it with the securities."
He also denounced the "total idiots" who felt it was acceptable to do such a thing. "My experiences [of the Dutch GP] are positive with the fans and it is a shame that there are a few total idiots out there that either drink or don't consider what a flare could do to a driver," he added.
"There was a flare out there that rolled over a straight. The flare and the pigeons – I don't know who let the pigeons out but clearly, the flare is the most dangerous thing. If such a can hits you, we have seen how in the past it can have lethal consequences. The halo wouldn't help you with that."
Orange flares have become commonplace at Formula 1 race tracks in recent times, but amid concerns over visibility and safety, organisers have clamped down on them. Messages displayed at the entrances to the facility at Zandvoort this weekend told fans that flares are banned and asked them to hand in any they had brought with them.
Home favourite Max Verstappen took the opportunity to try to reason with those who did not follow those rules, asking them not to do dangerous things like throw them. "It’s just very silly to do – to hold flares already, it's nice, but there's a limit to how much. To throw it on the track is just stupid," he said after qualifying.
"Just don't do that – it's not good for anyone. You get thrown out, you can't see the race, and for us the session is stopped because it is dangerous, there's stuff on the track, so you shouldn't do it."
