Verstappen: Was there booing? Not worth my time talking about it

Both Verstappen and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner faced booing from sections of the British crowd at the O2 Arena. The FIA, F1’s governing body, condemned the “tribalist” reaction and defended Horner and Verstappen for their contributions to the sport.

Verstappen’s father, Jos, suggested his son might boycott future season launches in England, while Horner described the reception as “disappointing.”

Speaking on the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Verstappen said: “Was there any booing? Maybe I’m deaf. I don’t need to really talk about it. It’s not worth my time.”

While some cheers drowned out the initial negative reaction when Verstappen appeared on the big screen at the O2, Horner’s introduction on stage was met with sustained jeers.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested the booing was directed more at Horner than Verstappen: “We were all surprised about the amount of booing that happened, particularly to one individual. That was big and bad. It’s his [Horner’s] home turf, and still Christian got these boos.

"Boos shouldn’t be in the sport, but in my opinion, that wasn’t directed at Max. That came as a consequence of what happened before," Wolff added. (Quotes from Agnes Carlier)