Jos Verstappen warns his son Max could boycott future Formula 1 launch events after the Red Bull driver was booed during F1 75 at London’s O2 Arena.
A first-of-its-kind event for F1 was held on Tuesday in a packed arena, and a worldwide television audience witnessed all 10 teams unveil liveries for the 2025 season.
The event was kicked off with a musical performance followed by an opening monologue by comedian host Jack Whitehall which referenced several key figures on the F1 grid, but boos filtered into the applause when Verstappen’s name came up.
A chorus of boos then met Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner as he took to the stage to introduce his outfit’s segment of the show.
Verstappen Sr. strongly condemned the booing, blaming the English crowd and warning that his son would be unlikely to attend subsequent launches if held again in the nation.
“In itself, I thought it was a reasonable set-up, only I thought it was shameful what happened there with Red Bull Racing,” the Dutchman told RaceXpress.
“That Christian Horner was booed like that, and Max was booed too.
“Look, then you do it for Formula 1, you are there to promote the sport and then you are booed by the public. I don’t think that’s acceptable.”
Jos: Max won’t do F1 launch in England next year
“I get it, because Max is the only one who fires up those Englishmen and says exactly how things are,” said Verstappen.
“But I don’t think this is acceptable, it’s really a disappointment what happened there.
“Max has no appetite for that, to be booed like that in front of 25,000 people. He also says: ‘If this is in England next year, they definitely won’t see me.’\
“You are there to promote the sport and showcase the new colour schemes of the cars, but if they then go on a rampage like this, the question is what are you there to do?
“He has to get ready to go there anyway, but then you get booed like that. I think they need to take a hard look at that, because that’s not part of this sport.”
Verstappen has long held a desire to focus on racing in F1 rather than the show, and acknowledged ahead of the F1 75 event that he didn’t have a lot to say on the matter, adding that “it’s nice for the fans to see the cars, the liveries. I hope it’s going to be a good show for them, to be honest.”
FIA strongly condemns booing at F1 75
Horner and Verstappen weren’t the only ones to draw jeers from the F1 75 crowd, with another chorus of boos reserved for the FIA when the governing body’s logo appeared on stage.
The FIA released a statement following the reaction to Red Bull’s boss and driver, saying: “What underpins sport at all levels is a culture of respect.
“As such, it was disappointing to hear the crowd’s tribalist reaction to FIA Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner, at the F1 launch in London.”
READ MORE – Max Verstappen addresses potential race ban threat ahead of F1 2025 season
