Verstappen and Horner in the cross hairs by fans in London during F1 75
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The London crowd showed its worst side during F1 75. While the event itself was met with much enthusiasm from the public, it was clear that Christian Horner, Max Verstappen and the FIA were not loved by the British public.
Formula 1 used a brief moment to put the FIA in the spotlight. Especially the stewards and all the volunteers, but the announced penalties for swearing did not do the FIA's image much good, as it turned out in London. Indeed, at the slightest mention of the FIA, loud boos rang out from the stands at the O2 Arena.
Yet the boos for the FIA were nothing compared to the treatment the men from Red Bull Racing had to endure. Max Verstappen was gently booed at the first announcement at the start of the show, but that only got worse as the show went on.
Loud boos during F1 75 in London
The low point came during Christian Horner's presentation. The latter came on stage after a song by the Rolling Stones, in honour of Dietrich Mateschitz. However, the audience did not care about the late Red Bull founder, instead choosing en masse to boo Horner throughout the presentation.
Horner seemed somewhat surprised by the reception, but picked up handsomely and even seemed to play with the audience at one point. Red Bull Racing must be wondering after this event if it will return for such an event in 2026. In such a hostile environment, there is little honour for Red Bull, and it would be better off doing its own presentation in Milton Keynes.
Max Verstappen was also booed again after Horner's presentation. Louder than at the first moment at the start of the show. However, Verstappen himself, perhaps deliberately chosen by the organisers or Red Bull, did not have to give an interview, so the audience had no greater opportunity to attack Verstappen.
The show as a whole was nicely put together. It perhaps took a bit long and was a bit over the top here and there, but for a first time F1 had this just fine. Still, teams will look critically at this concept.
The media section during the day did not enjoy much support from the teams, who also found out in London that Ferrari had simply skipped the media sessions. That that turned out to be an option may also lead other teams to ask questions. Red Bull Racing will be the most critical of the event, as in its current form it does little good for the British team.