The day after the gala evening celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship, the most discussed topic was the ungracious reception given to Max Verstappen, who was greeted by the London audience with boos that were audible even to TV viewers.
Further confirmation came shortly after when Christian Horner, a true Englishman but still the one managing Verstappen’s team, took the stage. He too received a dose of boos from the O2 Arena. The first question many asked was what triggered the London crowd’s reaction, and according to Horner, everything can be explained by Max’s nationality. Even British fans are no exception; local heroes are always the priority.
In Bahrain, Red Bull‘s team principal spoke for the first time since the London evening, but he emphasized that, while understanding the situation, something went too far. “We presented the cars in a setting similar to that of a stadium,” he explained, “with fans lined up in support of their teams and drivers. But personally, I was disappointed by the way Max was received. We’re talking about a four-time world champion. It’s a disappointing aspect, but I believe passion can sometimes lead to excesses. Probably, if the evening had been organized in the Netherlands, the atmosphere and reception would have been very different.”
“Fans are the DNA of the sport. In recent years, I believe Formula 1 has welcomed many new enthusiasts, and we’re seeing a growth in interest across many sports. Of course, fans are driven by passion and support their teams, their drivers, and that’s something we cannot debate or impose. We’re a global sport, racing in front of a truly vast audience across different continents, and we have to understand that we’ll get different reactions depending on where we are. And I believe this applies to any elite sport.”
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