With F1 heading to Mexico for the next round of racing, Fernando Alonso turned out to be a massive crowd favorite amongst the Mexicans. The Spanish driver was greeted by a huge horde of fans at a promotional event in Mexico City. One of the fans even went to the lengths of breaching security to come on stage and hug Alonso.
With this kind of a craze around the Aston Martin driver, Spanish journalist Antonio Lobato has claimed that it is not just Max Verstappen who would need added security in Mexico. Seeing the amount of people who turned up to get a glimpse of the 42 year old driver, Alonso could also do with some bodyguards.
What a crowd! 👏
An incredible reception for @alo_oficial visiting @HUGOBOSS in Mexico City! #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/knZ2oseIEl
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) October 25, 2023
Lobato posted on X, “Max won’t be the only one who needs protection. @alo_oficial [Fernando Alonso] he will need it to shield himself from the enormous affection that Mexicans have shown him in these first days in the Aztec country.”
Alonso becoming a crowd favorite in Mexico can be attributed to the fact that he’s also from a Spanish-speaking country. Another fact is that he’s one of the most veteran drivers on the grid, and with his extraordinary performances in 2023, has managed to win over the respect and admiration of a huge number of fans.
Verstappen is getting added security for a reason quite different to Fernando Alonso
However, while Lobato is suggesting Alonso to get some added security to protect him from his over-enthusiastic well wishers, it’s quite the opposite for Verstappen. Red Bull are expecting the Mexican crowd to be quite hostile towards their Dutch star.
The precedent was already set at the United States GP the previous week when Verstappen was jeered at by a large section of the fans during the podium ceremony. However, the three times world champion has maintained that these things do not bother him as he is the one who gets to go home with the trophy at the end of the day.
Fans could be heard booing Max Verstappen on the podium in Austin 👀 pic.twitter.com/q1okBsi3NK
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) October 22, 2023
With things getting a bit rough between the Red Bull duo last season, and then Perez being completed destroyed by Verstappen this season, he certainly won’t be expecting a warm welcome in Mexico. However, Helmut Marko has claimed that Verstappen doesn’t really feel the need for extra security at all.
As for Perez, the Mexican played his part to try and make sure that things do not go out of hand. The former Racing Point driver urged his countrymen to be supportive and respectful of the whole Red Bull team and not just him. Whether that will be the case, remains to be seen during race weekend.
