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Max Verstappen threatens to boycott future F1 launch events

Champion Max Verstappen has threatened to boycott future Formula 1 launch events, after copping heavy boos from English fans.

F1 launches 75th year with stellar show

MAX VERSTAPPEN has threatened to boycott the F175 event if it is held in this country again after being booed by English fans.

The FIA, motorsport’s governing body, has condemned the jeering of the four-times world champion and his team principal at Red Bull, Christian Horner. The live broadcast of the launch event on Tuesday evening, which coincided with the sport’s 75th anniversary, was watched by almost 7.5 million viewers across various platforms. But inside the O2 arena, Horner and Verstappen were booed by a crowd of mostly English fans.

While a decision has not yet been made on the future of the event, and whether it will be held next year, debriefs are expected between Formula 1 Management and the teams, while the booing is expected to be raised at a World Motor Sport Council meeting on Wednesday.

Max Verstappen has threatened to boycott the F1 launch in the future. Picture: Zak Mauger/Getty Images
Max Verstappen has threatened to boycott the F1 launch in the future. Picture: Zak Mauger/Getty Images

A FIA spokesman 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 Max Verstappen and Christian Horner. Max and Christian have both contributed greatly to the sport we love. In the season ahead we should not lose sight of that.”

Verstappen’s father, Jos, said the 27-year-old does not wish to participate if the launch event is held in England again.

Sources have suggested there is interest from Saudi Arabia to sponsor the ceremony, while others suggest it is unlikely to be held at all. “In itself I thought it was a reasonable set-up [of the event], but I thought it was embarrassing what happened there, with Red Bull Racing, that Horner was booed so much,” Jos told RaceXpress.

“No, Max doesn’t feel like being booed in front of 25,000 people.

“He also says: ‘If this is in England again next year, they certainly won’t see me there,’ and I completely agree with him.”

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/motorsport/max-verstappen-threatens-to-boycott-future-f1-launch-events/news-story/0760911717d5a84dcedeb1846025733f