“I’m not in control of what fans are doing,” said Verstappen as he asserted it….
Max Verstappen believes Formula 1 drivers are not responsible for the behaviour of fans at circuits and called upon the sport’s bosses to step up their response.
Verstappen was embroiled in a bitter rivalry last season as he fought with Lewis Hamilton for the title. And it seems the ill feeling between them spilled over and crept into their supporters, causing even more tribalism among fans on social media.
And it has been noticeable at circuits as well. Verstappen has been booed loudly on several occasions, particularly at the British Grand Prix earlier this month, while Hamilton in turn was targeted by fans dressed in orange who cheered his crash during qualifying in Austria.
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That whole race weekend at the Red Bull Ring was marred by reports of horrible behaviour from some race-goers, with allegations of racism, sexism and homophobia made. Verstappen responded by suggesting that such abusers are “not F1 fans “.
But he is not sure how much of an impact his own words can have. Instead, the Red Bull star believes it is the responsibility of F1’s top brass to come up with ways to curb hooliganism and poor behaviour among race-goers.
“I think that also needs to be up to the F1 organization, because they are the ones hosting and working together with the promoter to allow people in,” he told the Associated Press. “I’m not in control of what fans are doing.
Reports of poor fan behaviour marred the Austrian Grand Prix
Reports of poor fan behaviour marred the Austrian Grand Prix(Getty Images)
“It’s the same with any sport, you’re not in control of what the fans are going to do. But if you have a lot of security around, [they] might influence what people are doing in the grandstands. This is not only up to the drivers. It’s not only Austria, I think it’s happened all over the place.”
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That whole race weekend at the Red Bull Ring was marred by reports of horrible behaviour from some race-goers, with allegations of racism, sexism and homophobia made. Verstappen responded by suggesting that such abusers are “not F1 fans “.
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Max Verstappen demands F1 chiefs lead response to fan behaviour after Lewis Hamilton abuse
“I’m not in control of what fans are doing,” said Verstappen as he asserted it is not his responsibility to ask fans to show better behaviour when cheering on their favourite teams and drivers
Max Verstappen is generally followed by a sea of orange-clad supporters, especially at European races
Max Verstappen is generally followed by a sea of orange-clad supporters, especially at European races(Getty Images)
By Daniel Moxon
16:43, 29 Jul 2022
Max Verstappen believes Formula 1 drivers are not responsible for the behaviour of fans at circuits and called upon the sport’s bosses to step up their response.
Verstappen was embroiled in a bitter rivalry last season as he fought with Lewis Hamilton for the title. And it seems the ill feeling between them spilled over and crept into their supporters, causing even more tribalism among fans on social media.
And it has been noticeable at circuits as well. Verstappen has been booed loudly on several occasions, particularly at the British Grand Prix earlier this month, while Hamilton in turn was targeted by fans dressed in orange who cheered his crash during qualifying in Austria.
READ MORE
Max Verstappen could copy Charles Leclerc tactic to boost Hungarian GP qualifying chances
mirror
Sergio Perez stuns F1 pundits with sneezing fit over radio while driving at high speed
mirror
That whole race weekend at the Red Bull Ring was marred by reports of horrible behaviour from some race-goers, with allegations of racism, sexism and homophobia made. Verstappen responded by suggesting that such abusers are “not F1 fans “.
But he is not sure how much of an impact his own words can have. Instead, the Red Bull star believes it is the responsibility of F1’s top brass to come up with ways to curb hooliganism and poor behaviour among race-goers.
“I think that also needs to be up to the F1 organization, because they are the ones hosting and working together with the promoter to allow people in,” he told the Associated Press. “I’m not in control of what fans are doing.
“It’s the same with any sport, you’re not in control of what the fans are going to do. But if you have a lot of security around, [they] might influence what people are doing in the grandstands. This is not only up to the drivers. It’s not only Austria, I think it’s happened all over the place.”
There have been warnings of another hostile reception for Hamilton later this year at Verstappen’s home race in the Netherlands. But Dutch Grand Prix chief Jan Lammers dismissed such suggestions and promised that only “real” fans will be in attendance at Zandvoort.
READ MORE: Verstappen expecting Ferrari to be ……..in Hungary
“I think the real Orange fan would like to make a statement of showing now how it’s done, so I don’t expect any trouble,” he said. “I have a feeling that this will be the best time to go because everybody will be on good behaviour of course. I’m pretty confident that when the Dutch GP is here, the Dutch public would like to show how we receive a seven-time world champion and how we go about each other.”
