Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has expressed disappointment over the boos directed at Max Verstappen during last week’s F1 75 Live event.
Horner himself was booed by the crowd during F1’s launch event in London last week, where Red Bull unveiled their 2025 livery. Verstappen also appeared to receive a mixed response when shown on the screens at the O2 Arena.
In response, F1’s governing body, the FIA, issued a statement expressing their “disappointment” with the “tribalist” crowd reactions and introduced a new initiative, United Against Online Abuse, to combat online hostility.
“The FIA made their own comments about it. We didn’t have any discussions with them after the event; it was part of their campaign to address online abuse,” Horner explained at F1’s pre-season test in Bahrain, which is being broadcast on Sky Sports F1 and streamed for free on the Sky Sports app.
He continued: “Launching your car is like revealing your away kit in front of home fans. Fans will always support their preferred teams and drivers.”
“We’ve certainly been the main focus in recent years. The only real disappointment for me was the reception to Max as a four-time world champion, which was disheartening.”
“Passion in sport is inevitable, and if the event had been held in Holland, the reception would no doubt have been quite different.”
At the event, neither Verstappen nor teammate Liam Lawson spoke to the crowd, unlike the other 18 drivers. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff later told Sky Sports News that he didn’t believe Verstappen was booed.
Horner acknowledged that it’s inevitable fans will react differently “depending on where you race in the world, and that’s part of elite sport.”
“The fans are the heart of the sport. The fandom has clearly evolved over the years, as we’ve welcomed a more diverse audience,” he said.
“Sport is polarizing and highly competitive. Fans are passionate, and they support their drivers and teams. You can’t control that.”
McLaren received one of the loudest cheers of the evening, with Lando Norris emerging as one of the grid’s most popular drivers in recent years.
A rivalry developed between Red Bull and McLaren last season, including tensions between Horner and Zak Brown, with both teams fighting for dominance as the title race intensified.
While Verstappen claimed the drivers’ title, McLaren secured their first Constructors’ Championship in 26 years.
Brown commented that the fans were simply “voicing their opinion on who they were cheering for or against.”
“I’ve never been to a sporting event that wasn’t noisy, where someone didn’t get yelled at for missing a goal, or in ice hockey or baseball,” Brown said.
“Sport brings out passion in fans; they cheer and boo. I didn’t hear anything other than cheering and booing. I’ve certainly seen worse on social media, where you think, ‘Wait, that’s a bit too far.'”
“But cheering and booing have always been part of sports. Fans yell at their TVs when watching with friends.”
“Everyone has a favorite team or driver, and some less favored sides. That’s just the nature of sport. I didn’t think there was anything violent—other sports have seen riots, and that was far from it.”
