Max Verstappen has never been a fan of F1’s growing emphasis on entertainment, a stance he has reiterated multiple times. So, attending F1-75—a launch event featuring all 10 teams—was unlikely to be high on the Dutchman’s priority list.
Still, he made an appearance, but it turned out to be a rather forgettable evening for the four-time World Champion.
As soon as Verstappen stepped onto the stage at the O2 Arena in London alongside team principal Christian Horner, he was met with a chorus of boos. While the reaction didn’t faze the Dutchman, it certainly didn’t sit well with his father, Jos.
According to the former driver, his son, and Horner were doing F1 a favor by promoting the sport. The heckling was unnecessary, he suggested.
“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 told Dutch publication RaceXpress.
At the same time, the 52-year-old believes that there was a good reason why the English fans booed his son and not the other non-English F1 drivers. “I get it because Max is the only one who fires up those Englishmen and says exactly how things are,” Jos explained.
Jos Verstappen wasn’t impressed by the booing levelled at his son and Red Bull #F1 team boss Christian Horner at the F175 launch event… pic.twitter.com/Fmi85hI2aa
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) February 22, 2025
Jos wasn’t the only one upset with the crowd’s reaction in London. Even an FIA spokesperson addressed the incident, condemning the boos directed at the Red Bull driver. “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,” he said.
This statement, however, was somewhat ironic, as the FIA itself faced boos at the F1 75 event.
F1 community unhappy with FIA’s new code of conduct
A few weeks ago, the FIA introduced a strict set of regulations on driver conduct. These guidelines stated that swearing or cursing on team radios or in public could result in fines of up to $125,000.
Soon after, fans slammed the governing body of the pinnacle of motorsports and even drivers like Verstappen expressed their displeasure with it. “Honestly, from my side, I think it’s not necessary to be like that with the rules,” he admitted. “I think you need to use a bit of common sense and, besides that, I prefer that we actually focus on other topics…”
And it wasn’t just F1 drivers who commented on the FIA’s diktat. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, known for his colorful language, also shared his opinion on the matter.
“These athletes push themselves to the extreme, so sometimes when it comes out, let them be real, let it go,” he said during the F1 75 event, receiving a huge cheer from the audience.
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Fans understandably want drivers to express their raw, natural emotions during races, even if it includes swearing. However, the FIA seems determined to eliminate that aspect of the sport. President Mohammed Ben Sulayem even spoke about wanting to stop broadcasting team radios—a feature widely enjoyed by fans.
Hence, the jeers from the crowd on what was otherwise a monumental day for F1.
