Max Verstappen threatens to boycott events in England after ‘shameful’ booing at F1 75

Max Verstappen has threatened to boycott any future Formula 1 events held in England after he was jeered by fans at the F1 75 show in London. Last week, F1 held its very first season launch show at the O2 Arena with over 15,000 motorsport fans in attendance to see all 20 drivers unveil their new cars and liveries.

The show, hosted by Jack Whitehall, was for the most part a success, though there were some ugly scenes during Red Bull’s segment, with four-time champion Verstappen and team principal Christian Horner loudly booed by portions of the crowd. Verstappen and new teammate Liam Lawson were also the only drivers not be interviewed on stage, a decision Red Bull made ahead of the event in anticipation of the jeers.

Given the Dutchman’s fierce rivalries with British stars Sir Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and George Russell, as well as Horner’s divisive character, it was not surprising to see what unfolded. Nevertheless, F1’s governing body the FIA – who themselves were booed by the F1 75 crowd in response to their controversial swearing ban – released a statement condemning the ‘tribalist’ jeers aimed at Red Bull.

But according to Max’s father Jos Verstappen, the reigning world champion has stated that he will not attend similar events in England going forward if he continues to get the same reception. ‘In itself I thought it was a reasonable set-up, only I thought it was shameful what happened there with Red Bull Racing,’ Jos, himself a former F1 driver, told RaceXpress.

‘That Christian Horner was booed like that, and Max was booed too. Look, when you do it for Formula 1, you are there to promote the sport and then you are booed by the public. I don’t think that’s acceptable. ‘I get it, because Max is the only one who fires up those Englishmen and says exactly how things are. But I don’t think this is acceptable, it’s really a disappointment what happened there.

‘No, Max has no appetite for that, to be booed like that in front of 15,000 people. He also says, “If this is in England next year, they definitely won’t see me”. ‘You are there to promote the sport and showcase the new colour schemes of the cars, but if they then go on a rampage like this, the question is what are you there to do?.

‘He has to get ready to go there anyway, but then you get booed like that. I think they need to take a hard look at that, because that’s not part of this sport.’. F1 currently has no plans to hold a launch show in 2026 though Verstappen has little choice but to continue visiting England with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone taking place in July.

The 27-year-old will soon be back on track with pre-season testing in Bahrain beginning on Wednesday ahead of the opening race in Australia on March 16. In their statement, the FIA 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.

‘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.’.

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