Christian Horner has said he was unhappy at the barrage of booing that greeted Max Verstappen when the four-time world champion was introduced at formula one’s F175 launch show in London last week and observed that the make up of F1 fans had “changed” in recent years.
“The fans are the DNA of the sport and the fandom has changed over the last few years as we have been welcoming more diverse fans to the sport,” he said.
In recent years, particularly since the sport has expanded in popularity, there has been increasingly vituperative interactions between fans of rival teams and rival drivers, notably on social media, which the FIA has made a concerted effort to address with its United Against Online Abuse campaign.
McLaren, who were received with a chorus of cheering at F175, roundly beat Red Bull in the constructors’ championship last season and their team principal Zak Brown felt the fans’ reaction was a vital part of the sporting atmosphere and defended them robustly.
“Sport is polarising and competitive, any sport in the world fans are passionate – they support their drivers, they support their teams, you can’t dictate that.
