Red Bull not appreciated in London
In addition to the show and glamour, the event showcasing the new season organized by F1 in London also sparked some unexpected controversy. The audience expressed their displeasure towards both the FIA and the Red Bull team, booing them during several moments of the evening.
Particularly shocking were the boos directed at world champion Max Verstappen and the team principal of the Austrian-British team, Christian Horner. The English manager likely did not expect such a reaction from the crowd: Horner spoke for about a minute to the audience during the first part of the segment dedicated to his team and quickly realized the atmosphere towards him was not particularly welcoming.
Boos paid at a high price
The American website ESPN revealed that it gathered information from reliable sources stating that the mini-show put on by Red Bull—with a long and detailed presentation video and dozens of extras who joined the car and drivers on stage—cost almost 800,000 pounds, just under a million euros. An investment that, based on the public’s reaction, does not seem to have brought the team, which has won six world titles between Drivers and Constructors in the past four seasons, the appreciation they had hoped for.
The Milton Keynes team will chase a fifth consecutive Drivers’ title with Max Verstappen this year and will aim to reclaim the top spot among the teams after being defeated last year by McLaren and Ferrari due to a very difficult second half of the season, during which the on-track performance of the RB20 was often quite disappointing.
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