Verstappen clan annoyed after whistles in England

It did not go unnoticed, Max Verstappen did not receive a warm welcome at London's O2 Arena for the F175 Live event where the teams presented their livery for the 2025 season. When the team Red Bull, led by Christian Horner, entered the stage, boos and whistles descended from the stands of the London stadium.

These were particularly addressed to the four-time world champion, whose popularity rating is not very high across the Channel, and to the team principal of the Austrian team. As expected, Max Verstappen did not speak in front of the public while he is already not a big fan of this kind of initiative for which he did not have a great motivation, given the episodes of these last campaigns with the British diaspora in F1.

A situation he could have done without, while those around him do not rule out the possibility of not attending such an event in the future, as his father Jos suggested.

« It was a good organization overall., says Jos Verstappen, interviewed by RaceXpress on the sidelines of a test of rally. But I found what happened with Red Bull shameful. Christian Horner was booed, and Max too. You do this for Formula 1, to promote the championship, and you are booed by the public. It is unacceptable.

Max doesn't want that, to be booed in front of a crowd of 25 people. And he also said: 'If it's in England next year, they're definitely not going to see me again.' Max believes that such experiences are demotivating, especially in a context aimed at highlighting Formula 000. »

For its part, the FIA ​​publicly condemned the bad behaviour of a large part of the spectators present at the O2 Arena, regretting a " tribal reaction » of these. « The The great rivalries that have marked the history of motorsport have helped make it an exciting experience for the public. But at every level, the sport is built on a culture of respect. As such, it was disappointing to hear the tribal reaction of the crowd (...)

As part of the FIA’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the sport, we are combating social media abuse under the banner of our ‘United Against Online Abuse’ campaign. We stand with all competitors, officials, volunteers and fans to unite against this growing threat. We urge the sporting community to consider the impact of these acts, both online and in real life.. » On the Verstappen side, the message has in any case been received. If a similar event is once again organised on English soil in the future, we will certainly not be able to count on the presence of Max Verstappen.

ALSO READ > FIA condemns booing of Horner and Verstappen during F1 75 Live: 'Disappointing to hear the tribal reaction from the crowd'