The FIA is unhappy Max Verstappen and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner were booed by the crowd during Formula 1’s official pre-season launch event on Tuesday.
The crowd at the O2 Arena in London could be heard jeering when the four-times world champion appeared as Red Bull presented their livery for the upcoming season at the event.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has made online abuse a focus of his first term through the governing body’s United Against Online Abuse initiative, which involves representatives of sports beyond motor racing. The matter is expected to be raised at next week’s meeting of the World Motor Sports Council.
An FIA spokesperson said: “Great rivalries throughout the history of motorsport 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.”
Although the launch event was a new initiative introduced by Formula One Management this year, it is not the first time a driver has been booed, nor is Verstappen the only one to have been targeted. Verstappen has been booed at the British Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton has experienced it on several occasions. George Russell said booing “needs to be stamped out” after he was jeered at during the Canadian Grand Prix two years ago.
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“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,” the spokesperson continued. “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.”
The Red Bull representatives were not alone in experiencing a hostile reaction at F1 75. Some in the crowd also booed when the FIA was mentioned.
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