Max Verstappen was on the receiving end of two fans giving him the middle finger in Imola last weekend, and the incident irked him. He responded by doing the same to those fans, who later recorded an apology video for the Dutchman.
Verstappen has seen this video and also reacted to it on his latest livestream with his friends. Per Verstappen, “It’s good stuff”, as his friend reiterated the Red Bull driver’s post-qualifying comments stating, “They [fans] learn.”
max saw the apology video “fair play! its great stuff..” https://t.co/kUbK4eBVGQ pic.twitter.com/mF8kP3smeC
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) May 22, 2024
Verstappen mentioned how, “A lot of people were clapping and one guy he was doing some different things to me, so I gave him the finger. And then the next time I came around they were clapping. So they learn. It’s easy to be not nice to drivers, but I can also be not nice to you”.
Verstappen used to lose his cool and react angrily at such instances in his early F1 days. However, over the years, he has matured by leaps and bounds. And with three World Championships under his belt, he knows he has nothing to prove to the fans who disrespect him.
The incident in Imola showcased maturity on Verstappen’s part which also extinguished a potentially huge flame, quite effortlessly. The Italian fan duo appreciated the 26-year-old in their apology video and cited how he has become a “legend” to them.
not the formal apology from the Ferrari fans being cunts to max pic.twitter.com/00aIfLpvtw
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) May 19, 2024
Verstappen is also not the first dominant Champion to face booing and unpleasant fan behavior in F1. Still, he has done well to avoid reacting and handles himself well, knowing he is at the top of the F1 summit.
How Max Verstappen has sportingly embraced the ugly side of F1 dominance
Usually, a single driver dominating F1 doesn’t sit right with the F1 community, who get ‘tired’ of seeing the same person on the top step of the podium week in and week out. Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton have all been on the receiving end of this. As a result, slander and online trolling had become rampant, especially in Vettel and Hamilton’s cases.
Verstappen, who started dominating in 2022, became the latest star to experience this. However, he turns a deaf year to any such criticism or unwanted chatter.
A classic example is the 2023 Miami GP when several fans booed him from the grandstands. However, Verstappen was focused on getting ready for his race and in the end, dominated to win comfortably from ninth on the grid.
The three-time champion knows that it is futile to get into any altercation, as fans would opt for resorting to such antics if he responds or reacts. Thus, Verstappen has become a lot more selective with his conversations and what he says, even with the media.
