Red Bull has dominated Formula 1 since the 2021 season. Max Verstappen managed to take every championship since that year with the WCC comfortably in Red Bull’s fans. However, some fanatics took their frustration out on Max Verstappen and Christian Horner.
During the F1 75 Live event, Max Verstappen and Christian Horner were audibly jeered by fans attending. The FIA has come out and defended the pair.
FIA critical of Max Verstappen and Christian Horner jeers
Following a closely fought battle for the 2021 championship, Max Verstappen dominated the next three seasons. Red Bull destroyed the opposition in 2022 and 2023. The 2023 season saw only one race where a Red Bull driver didn’t win. Despite a closer fought 2024, fans vented their frustrations by booing Verstappen and Horner.
Following the event which launched the 2025 season, the FIA have come out in defence of Max Verstappen and Christian Horner. A statement read: “What underpins sport at all levels is a culture of respect. As such, it was disappointing to hear the crowd’s tribalist reaction to FIA Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner, at the F1 launch in London.”
The 2024 season did show some fragility in Red Bull. They lost out in the constructors championship and don’t have a large margin in their car. The 2025 season could see a closely fought battle in both championships which is what fans want to see.
The 2021 rivalry played a part in the booing
The 2021 season saw an epic battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. As the season went on, the pair clashed multiple times, most notably in Italy where Verstappen’s car landed on top of Hamilton’s. The rivalry became fractious as they headed for the final round in Abu Dhabi. The controversial way Verstappen won the championship on the final lap left a bitter taste in Hamilton fan’s mouths.
As the livery event had mainly British fans, this would have contributed to the jeering aimed at Verstappen and Red Bull. Verstappen has also clashed with another Brit this season, Lando Norris. They came to blows throughout the season as they fought the championship, heating the rivalry between Max and British fans.
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It is not the first time Verstappen has been booed on British soil. At the British Grand Prix in 2022, the four-time world champion was jeered in an interview post-qualifying. Ever since the four-time world champion has received a negative reaction from fans at Silverstone.
