'Silverstone booing Max Verstappen was unacceptable': The Editor
The face of F1 is changing, and some fans have no place in the sport
We had a young trainee reporter in for work experience this month. Henry Hudson is in his first year studying journalism in Leeds and as his first assignment I sent him to Silverstone for British Grand Prix qualifying. The brief was pretty broad: go as a spectator, no special press passes, have fun and see what – if any – stories you can find.
It’s always good to see what catches the attention of young enthusiasts especially those away from the media bubble. What he came up with was published on our website under the headline The changed face of F1. The report described how the record-breaking crowd of more than 400,000 fans over the weekend included a significant proportion of younger and female fans reflecting a broader trend across the sport. Hudson collared a couple of them as case studies talking to a young mum and her daughter (Lewis Hamilton and George Russell fans respectively) about what attracted them to F1.
He concluded: “Across the viewing areas, bars and queues for overpriced cheeseburgers there were countless groups of young female fans, adorned in the merch of various drivers, in particular the younger superstars of the sport, having a great time with friends while taking in the sights and sounds of the F1 circus. This year’s mix of fans seemed as passionate, knowledgeable and loyal to their heroes as ever, offering a positive vision of the sport’s future.”
I too was struck by the carnival atmosphere, the mixed crowd and optimistic vibe at Silverstone over the weekend. You can read about the action on track on page 30 courtesy of our grand prix editor Mark Hughes. Off track the sheer exuberance of the fans was infectious both on race day and on the Friday practice.
I couldn’t help but wince at the persistent booing for Max Verstappen
Last month we reported on the efforts at Silverstone to upgrade the circuit and the mission to create a weekend festival atmosphere for the whole family to enjoy. And on the evidence, I’d say they are well on the way to doing that.
And yet…
I couldn’t help but wince at the persistent booing for Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, by a significant section of the crowd. We all know this is a home race for Lewis Hamilton, against whom Verstappen won a controversial title last year after a hard-fought season. And we all know how fans have taken to their hearts home-grown characters such as George Russell and Lando Norris. In some ways it was always going to be a hostile ‘away’ match for Verstappen (despite the fact his team HQ is half an hour down the A5).
But the reception afforded the Red Bull driver was unacceptable – and a surprise given how knowledgeable the Silverstone crowd usually are. What made it all the worse was the fact that they booed him at a race where the risks the drivers take out on track had been made abundantly and spectacularly clear after the first corner collision, which brought out a red flag.
It’s pretty clear though that the booing and the hint of menace is not confined to Silverstone. The following race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, regarded as a home race for Verstappen, saw a section of the crowd cheer when Hamilton crashed during qualifying.
Worse, we are hearing of fans abusing one another in the stands and seeing images of a branded driver cap being set alight by a rival fan. As we went to press reports are surfacing concerning accusations of sexist catcalling, inappropriate touching of female fans, and homophobic and racist abuse.
Verstappen condemned the behaviour and so did Hamilton and race winner Charles Leclerc. But it seems it got so bad that Mercedes invited one woman, who had been abused by what she claimed to have been “five Dutch Max fans”, to their garage on race day to ensure her safety. The Aston Martin team also invited two fans who had reportedly suffered homophobic abuse to their hospitality on Sunday for the race. Kudos to both teams but this is totally beyond the pale.
No one is claiming race fans are angels or that we should return to the stuffy days of Brooklands and it is true that a partisan crowd can add a dash of mustard to an occasion. Equally, no one is saying you can’t cheer for your champion and give a bit of stick to your bogeyman. But fans who cross the line into offensive and threatening behaviour have no place in the sport.
Formula 1 and race promoters need to send a clear message that there will be zero tolerance of this sort of behaviour. Those found guilty should be banned from race circuits – it’s as simple as that. And the FIA should start to assess fan behaviour as part of its decision-making process on the suitability of circuits to host grands prix.
The deeply unpleasant dialogues and extreme tribalism that appear on social media around each grand prix must not be allowed to take root at circuits. Otherwise the positive vision of the sport that our young workie identified is at risk.
Joe Dunn, editor
Follow Joe on Twitter @joedunn90