The FIA has released a statement on the booing of Christian Horner and Max Verstappen at the F1 75 event.
Max Verstappen and Christian Horner were subjected to prolonged booing from the crowd at the F1 75 launch.
Neither was able to finish any of their remarks due to the hostile reception could finish any of their remarks due to the hostile reception.
Verstappen kept his comments short, while Horner was visibly shocked at the crowd’s reaction towards him.
The FIA was also subjected to the crowd’s ire, drawing booing at their mention by host Jack Whitehall between launches.
Jos Verstappen attacked the crowd’s attitude, branding it “shameful”. He then stated his belief that his son’s famous straight-talking attitude “fires up” British fans.
The FIA did not make any formal statement after the event or acknowledge the incident. However, as reported by Planet F1, it has now chosen to intervene, condemning fans’ actions inside the 02 arena.
It called the booing towards Horner and Verstappen a “tribalist reaction” before praising their contributions to F1 over their careers.
The FIA also reiterated its intentions to tackle abuse in motorsport before calling on fans to consider the consequences of their actions both inside venues and online.
Full FIA statement
“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.
“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.”
Feature Image Credit: @FIA on X
