Magnussen was forced to retire during the latter part of Sunday’s race after touching the barrier at the exit of Turn 2.
Will Street, an F1 fan attending Albert Park, was standing on the hill behind the fencing when the incident occurred.
He confirmed it on local radio 3AW that some debris from Magnussen’s car cut his arm.
“He slapped me on the arm and I was just standing there bleeding,” he said. “My arm was covering where my neck would have been, but if that had hit my fiancée, it would have put her on the head.
“I realized how big it was and how heavy it was. Some of it was shredded and very sharp, if it hit me from a different angle it could have been horrible.
Australian GP chief executive Andrew Westacott described the incident as a “one-off extraordinary”.
“Actually, coincidentally, we had one of our engineers over there who saw it, and anecdotally, it looks like the carbon fiber debris from the wheel hub shot about 20 meters into the air, shot, went landed and lacerated a knight’s arm.” added
“Our people were aware of the incident. It seems like it’s a unique oddity, because you can’t necessarily have these debris fences 20 meters in the air.
“The debris fences are consistent in height all over the world. We comply with our FIA regulations, but like everything in motorsport, at the end of the event you debrief and see what you can do to improve.
“I hope the guy is OK. It’s a reminder that safety is paramount when it comes to F1.”
Apart from this incident, the organizers of the Australian GP were summoned to the marshals after the race.
This was due to concerns that fans would be able to access the track at the end of the race when the cars were still running.
