Verstappen: Boo-brigade are not really Formula 1 fans

The home circuit of Max Verstappen's team was awash in orange fabric and smoke since the first session began on Friday, with stands filled to capacity to cheer on their hero, at the expense of all his rivals, but mostly Lewis Hamilton.

So much so that when the #44 Mercedes slammed the barriers in qualifying, the stands erupted in celebration, which shocked the seven-time F1 world champion and has since been roundly condemned. Hamilton himself told reporters he was perplexed by the behaviour.

Notably a week earlier, at the British Grand Prix, Hamilton's home race, Verstappen was booed vehemently when he scored pole and then when he hit trouble in the race, Silverstone erupted. And of course there were the scenes last year in Britain too.

The HAM-VER feud is toxic and will always be because of the dirty water between them which will never be water under the bridge, the booing by either side is primitive and tribal with no place in F1 but set to stay as long as this rivalry is relevant.

Organisers estimate that almost half the 105,000 spectators expected at Red Bull Ring today have travelled from Holland - the Orange Army - to support their driver

F1 highlighted and emphasised their stance on fan behaviours in this Tweet today:

However, the above F1 statement is apparently not directed at the Friday qualy boo-brigade but, rather, according to our source in the Red Bull Ring paddock, fans who were abusive during the night: "Dutch people in a campsite got into a fight with other spectators.

"The degree of alcohol abuse must've been super high with 12 degrees temperature and rain overnight. Some drunk fans dressed in orange harassed two young women in the crowd and a bar-style fight ensued."

Hence today's F1 statement is supposedly unrelated to the putrid bad sportsmanship and proper trailer-park stupidity that prompted cheers when Hamilton crashed and when, a week earlier, at Silverstone when Verstappen was subject to jeers in qualifying and during the race. And not to mention last year in Britain when Max crashed on the opening lap...

Of this cancer, Hamilton said his bit in this separate piece, but Verstappen heading to Austria for a potentially explosive home race, also labelled the boo-brigade as unacceptable when he told The Guardian: “Those people are not really F1 fans.

"They cannot really enjoy what is actually happening right now, a lot of great drivers actually fighting against each other. But they cannot appreciate that and that’s a bit of a shame.

"How many times do you get to experience stuff like that? Such an intense rivalry or fights. These people are not lovers of the sport," declared the reigning F1 World Champion, who was booed a week ago at Hamilton's home race (picture below).

Verstappen's former teammate, now McLaren driver, Daniel Ricciardo added: “An accident falls into a bit of a different kind of territory. For sure rivalries are great, and the Lewis and Max one especially last year was awesome, and like any sport, you’re always going to have for and against.

"So I think on-track battles to be cheered or whatever is cool. I’ve never been a fan of booing so I don’t condone booing. Of course, you’re going to have the ones you like and the ones that you don’t necessarily root for. But I think in an accident, you wish not to see it.

"We're also human beings. People have to remember that sometimes it’s easy when you’re in the crowd all day and you’ve obviously had a few beers and that and if the guy next to you does it then you think it’s okay that you can do it.

“But I feel like you get to an age where you also mature and you realise that, okay what I did when I was 15, I shouldn’t be doing as a 30-year-old man. You have to be a little more sensible," ventured Ricciardo.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff appealed for common sporting decency: "We just need to speak more to the fans cheering when a car is in the wall or booing a driver who gives an interview.

"It's not what we would do with our competitors and enemies even though you would think there is some animosity out there. Nobody should actually do it, we need to work collectively with F1 and you guys to educate people," added Wolff.

His Red Bull counterpart, Christian Horner: “The team loves racing here and the support we get is incredible, passion is great but shouldn’t spill over into jeers at our opponents.”