George Russell had a dramatic 18 laps in the 2023 Australian GP. The Briton led the race by stealing the lead from polesitter Max Verstappen until the race restart changed his course.
The Mercedes driver was forced to retire from the race on lap 18 due to an engine problem. Russell’s W14 caught fire and the Briton was forced to stop his car on the main straight of Albert Park.
Verstappen fans were happy to see the Dutchman reclaim the lead. However, other race fans have reported disturbing chants from the Dutchman’s fan base. Bringing the spotlight again on the 2x champion’s fanbase who are notorious for causing a nuisance in races.
LAP 18/58
It goes from bad to worse for George Russell…
He is forced to retire as fire and smoke emerges from his car #AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/umJP1NDrqY
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 2, 2023
George Russell’s retirement cheered by Verstappen fans
George Russell suffered a fiery end to his 2023 Australian GP. The Brition was having a great race until the restart following the Red Flag following Alex Albon’s spin.
On lap 18, his engine caught fire and the Mercedes driver was forced to retire. But the retirement of the Briton caused a segment of Max Verstappen fans to erupt with joy.
Some fans reported that the “Orange army” fans seated at the Schumacher stand chanted “Burn George burn” upon Russell’s retirement. Which is quite a disturbing thing to cheer about.
I’m honestly disgusted. I hate people so much. People said “Burn George burn”… WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK. How can you say that to a human being. I’m just so mad rn I want to punch them all
— Leah ♡ RACE DAY!!! (@ashole_4_ashe) April 2, 2023
To the disgusting redbull fans cheering and screaming “burn George burn” in the Schumacher stand at the #ausgp you’re genuinely scum. Disgusting pieces of shit.
— bec is at aus gp 🤍 (@formulabae) April 2, 2023
Russell managed to beat Verstappen at the race start by briefly leading the race. This could be the reason why the 2x champions fans were hostile against the Mercedes driver.
However, Verstappen managed to overtake Hamilton with ease and reinstate his race lead. However, cheering for a rival’s retirement and calling for them to be severely harmed is disgusting. Yet again, his fans have become the center of another unsporting incident.
Max Verstappen’s fans have a reputation for an unsporting demeanor
George Russell is not the first driver to face the wrath of Max Verstappen’s fans. The fans are known for being extremely hostile to several drivers and have caused trouble in many other races.
No one knows it better than Russell’s teammate Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton’s crash at the 2022 Austrian GP was cheered by the “Orange army” fans.
In the same race couple of female fans were harassed by Verstappen’s fans. They were also reported for racist, misogynistic, and homophobic abuse.
A fan even halted the 2022 Dutch GP by throwing a flare on the track. The race was red-flagged until the flare was cleared off the track. We will await the Dutchman’s comments on the behavior of his fans after cheering for Russell’s retirement.
