Red Bull’s Horner and Verstappen face hostile London crowd
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen got a rough welcome at London’s O2 Arena during F1’s 75th anniversary celebration. The Red Bull Racing duo faced loud boos from the crowd, sparking controversy across the F1 community.
The FIA quickly condemned the booing in an official statement.
Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, didn’t mince words about the incident. He declared his son wouldn’t attend similar events in England after the hostile reception.
But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff doesn’t seem too bothered by the whole thing.
“We shouldn’t talk an event down that was mega because one single individual, rightly or wrongly, was booed when he spoke,” Wolff said while in Bahrain for winter testing.
The Austrian team principal actually praised the event and its attendees despite the controversy.
“It was a great event. The spectators there were great, the presentation of the cars was good and it sets a new format for the years to come,” he explained. “That is the positive we need to take from that.”
When asked if he joined in the booing, Wolff quickly distanced himself. “I wasn’t booing. There were 15,000 people that did that.”
He even downplayed the negative reception toward Verstappen, a driver Mercedes has been eyeing for 2024.
“I don’t think he got booed exactly, there was plenty of cheers I heard for him as well,” Wolff claimed. “I think, as you say, I don’t think that Max was booed.”
The incident highlights growing tensions between teams as the new F1 season approaches.
