- All F1 drivers and teams turned out for the F1 75 Live launch event on Tuesday
- Max Verstappen and Christian Horner were booed at the show at the O2 Arena
- Now Verstappen has threatened to skip any such event in England in the future
Max Verstappen was apparently so furious with his treatment at Formula One’s season launch party in England that he has threatened to boycott it in future.
The Red Bull star was booed alongside team boss Christian Horner at the F1 75 Live launch event at the O2 Arena in London on Tuesday.
Almost 7.5 million fans watched globally as the pair received a hostile reception from the crowd in F1’s first pre-season event of its kind.
All 20 drivers and all 10 teams were present to celebrate F1’s 75th birthday and unveil their liveries ahead of the new campaign, which gets underway with the Australian GP from March 14-16.
‘Max doesn’t feel like being booed in front of 25,000 people. He also says: ‘If this is in England again next year, they certainly won’t see me there,’ and I completely agree with him,’ said the driver’s father, Jos, to RaceXpress.
‘You are there for Formula 1 to promote the sport a little bit and all. Then you are booed by the public. I think that is unacceptable.
Max Verstappen’s dad says he has threatened to avoid any future F1 launch parties in England
The Red Bull star was booed as he took to the stage at the F1 75 Live launch event on Tuesday
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was also jeered at the inaugural O2 Arena event
‘Look, I understand it. Max is the only one who puts the English drivers under pressure and who tells it exactly how it is, but I think it is unacceptable and a real disappointment what happened there.
‘In itself I thought it was a reasonable set-up, but I thought it was embarrassing what happened there with Red Bull Racing, that Horner was booed so much.’
There were cheers as well as jeers. Horner said on stage: ‘Is that (booing?)… well, it’s fantastic to be here in the O2 anyway, so I hope you’re all having a good evening.’
According to The Times, F1 chiefs and the teams are set to debrief the event and the booing may be raised at the World Motor Sport Council meeting on Wednesday.
Sources have indicated to the outlet that Saudi Arabia have an interest in hosting the event in future, but it may not go ahead at all.
An FIA spokesperson said: ‘Great rivalries throughout the history of motor sport have contributed to making it such an exciting experience for fans. But 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.
‘Max and Christian have both contributed greatly to the sport we love. In the season ahead we should not lose sight of that.
All the teams showed off their new liveries as Formula One celebrated its 75th anniversary
The event was the first of its kind, will be debriefed, and may not be repeated in the future
Jos Verstappen calld the booing towards his son ‘unacceptable’ and ’embarrassing’
‘As part of the FIA’s commitment to protect the integrity of the sport, we are leading a coalition tackling online abuse in sport under the banner of our United Against Online Abuse campaign.
‘We stand with all of our competitors, officials, volunteers, and fans to unite against this growing threat. We urge the sporting community to consider the impact of their actions both online and offline.’
Verstappen has won the last four World Drivers’ Championships, while Red Bull have won two of the last four World Constructors’ Championships.
In December, they reached a mutual agreement to terminate Sergio Perez’s contract two years early after he finished 8th. Liam Lawson has replaced the Mexican.