'Lunatic' priest launches F1 track invasion during British GP

Thankfully in F1, track invasions during grands prix are rare, but they do happen from time to time.

Examples include a disgruntled Mercedes employee at the 2000 German GP, or the time in China in 2015 where a fan ran across the track during free practice and into the pit-lane, apparently claiming that he thought "free practice" meant fans were entitled to drive the cars.

Another incident occurred later in 2015 in Singapore when a fan went for a walk down the track during the race, and seven years later at Silverstone, protest group Just Stop Oil invaded the track at the start of the race, although it had been suspended for the big first lap crash for Zhou Guanyu. 

But the most infamous F1 track invasion happened 22 years ago today (July 20th), also at Silverstone. 

On lap 11, just as UK broadcaster ITV was heading for a commercial break, footage showed a man running down the Hanger Straight towards the cars, holding placards and feigning towards them. 

Lead commentator James Allen branded him a "lunatic" as race control quickly deployed the safety car as marshal Stephen Green man-handled the protester, and his signs saying: 'Read the Bible, the Bible is always right' off the track. 

The invader turned out to be a former Irish priest named Neil Horan and was promptly charged with trespassing. He was found guilty and sent to prison for two months.

Rubens Barrichello of Ferrari, who had incidentally won at Hockenheim in 2000, also went on to win the race after Horan's invasion.

However, that was not the end of Horan's invasions. 

Police arrested him just before the 2004 Epsom Derby horse race, and he directly affected the result of the 2004 Men's marathon at the Athens Summer Olympic Games.

He pushed leader Vanderlei de Lima into the crowd with just 4.2 miles remaining, with the Brazilian holding a comfortable 25s lead. 

Losing 10 seconds in the incident, de Lima then suffered with cramps and spasms as he fell away to third, with an appeal by the Brazilian Olympic federation for a gold medal being rejected.

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Horan was arrested after planning a protest at the final, whilst he then appeared on UK talent show Britain's Got Talent in 2009 before being removed when his true identity was discovered.

One of his last public actions came in 2013 when he joined the waiting outside the hospital for the birth of the first child of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. He claimed that then Monarch Queen Elizabeth II would be the last British sovereign, despite the fact that another future one in Prince George, had been born.