Max Verstappen’s U-turn becomes apparent as threat made ahead of 2025 F1 season

Red Bull driver may refuse to attend any future events in the UK after being booed at the launch for the 2025 campaign – that is despite previously claiming he is not bothered by jeers from crowds. Verstappen, 27, was treated like a pantomime villain by fans at The O2 Arena last week when all 20 drivers posed with their cars ahead of the new Formula 1 season.

The defending champion has become an unpopular figure in the UK ever since his in 2021, which saw him stop from winning his record 8th title in controversial circumstances. He has also been locked in a feud with Hamilton’s former team-mate , who claimed the Dutchman at the Qatar GP.

Previously, Verstappen has suggested he relishes playing the role of villain. However, his father Jos claims the recent jeers at The 02 Arena, which prompted , angered his son.

Jos told RaceXpress, via : “In itself I thought it was a reasonable set-up, only I thought it was shameful what happened there with Racing. That 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.

“I get it, because Max is the only one who fires up those Englishmen and says exactly how things are. But I don’t think this is acceptable, it’s really a disappointment what happened there.

“No, 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.”

His father’s position represents a huge U-turn on Verstappen’s previous comments about the jeers. At the 2023 Miami GP, Verstappen was also jeered by those in attendance at the Miami International Autodrome.

It did not stop him from racking up his third F1 victory of 2023, despite starting from 9th on the grid. When asked about the jeers, the then smug Dutchman said: “If I were driving in the back nobody would be doing anything in terms of reaction. I think it is normal when you are winning and they don’t like who is winning.

“It is something for me which is absolutely fine as long as I am standing on the top. To me, the most important thing is I take the trophy home and they go back to their houses and they can… have a nice evening.”

With testing taking place from Wednesday until Friday this week in Bahrain, it will be interesting to see what sort of attitude Verstappen brings after the strong words over the past several days.

The FIA’s statement made clear their stance as they made a plea to fans to respect drivers and their teams. It read: “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 FIA Formula 1 World Champion and his Team Principal and CEO , at the F1 launch in London. Max and Christian have both contributed greatly to the sport we love. In the season ahead we should not lose sight of that.

“As part of the FIA’s commitment to protect the integrity of the sport, we are leading a coalition tackling online abuse in sport under the banner of our United Against Online Abuse campaign. We stand with all of our competitors, officials, volunteers, and fans to unite against this growing threat. We urge the sporting community to consider the impact of their actions both online and offline.”

Verstappen is set to be back in Britain for the Silverstone GP in the summer, with the race scheduled for July 6, and a hostile reception could be in the offing at this rate.