The McLaren-Red Bull rivalry is heating up, and fans are making their feelings known. At the recent F1 75 Live event in London, McLaren received enthusiastic cheers while Red Bull faced a chorus of boos.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown isn’t surprised by the fan reaction.
“I’ve never been to a sporting event that’s been quiet where someone’s not yelling at a football player for missing a goal or at an ice hockey or baseball,” Brown said. “Sport brings out passion, and they cheer and they boo.”
The American executive sees this kind of reaction as perfectly normal in the competitive world of sports.
He draws a clear line between typical fan behavior and truly problematic actions, though.
“I’ve certainly seen a lot worse on social media where you go, ‘Wait a minute, you’re kind of going a bit too far,'” Brown explained. “But cheering and booing has been part of sport, every sport, forever.”
Brown believes this passionate fan engagement is actually the lifeblood of sports entertainment.
“That’s what fans do. They yell at their TV when they’re watching with their buddies. Everyone has a favorite team, a favorite driver, less favourites. I just think that’s sport.”
He emphasized that the London event didn’t cross any concerning boundaries.
“I didn’t think there was anything visceral or violent, and you definitely see other sports that have had riots break out, and that was far from that. So, I just think it was sports and fans doing what fans do.”
## More Fan Events Needed
The McLaren boss was impressed by the F1 75 event itself and wants to see F1 create more opportunities for fan engagement.
“I think the event was pretty awesome for the fans. We need to do more of those types of events,” he said.
Brown suggested several possibilities: “Whether it’s pre-season, more opportunities for our fans when we’re testing, tyre testing, year-end awards. There’s not currently an F1 awards.”
He believes Formula 1 should look to other sports for inspiration on connecting with fans.
“I’m a fan of fan events, if you’d like, and you see other sports do that quite well. I think we’re making good progress there.”
With the rivalry between McLaren and Red Bull set to continue into 2025, these fan-focused events could become even more electric as the battle intensifies both on and off the track.
