Max Verstappen threatens to boycott F1 launch event after ‘unacceptable’ booing

Max Verstappen of Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on during F1 75 Live at The O2 Arena in London, England. Photo / Getty Images

Max Verstappen has threatened to boycott Formula One’s season-launch event next year if it is hosted in England again after he was booed by fans.

The four-time F1 world champion and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner received a hostile reaction from the crowd on Tuesday night at London’s O2 Arena, where all 20 drivers and 10 teams presented their new cars on stage ahead of the new season.

The FIA labelled the crowd’s behaviour as “tribalist” in a statement and Verstappen’s father Jos revealed the Red Bull driver is considering refusing to attend next year’s event.

“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,” Jos told RaceXpress.

“You are there for Formula One to promote the sport a little bit and all. Then you are booed by the public. I think that is unacceptable.

“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.”

The evening witnessed music artists take to the stage with comedian Jack Whitehall hosting. Teams had seven minutes to launch their liveries which included light shows and video montages.

The reaction to Horner comes after the Red Bull principal was investigated for allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague last season. Horner denied the allegations and was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing by Red Bull.

Verstappen has had a longstanding rivalry with British drivers, most notably Lewis Hamilton during the 2021 season before challenging Lando Norris for the title and a public falling out with George Russell last year.

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.

“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 four consecutive drivers’ championships with Red Bull winning two constructors’ titles in that period.