Lando Norris and Max Verstappen will start the Austrian Grand Prix on the front row. This is the second race in a row where they are lined up this way, but this time, Verstappen has the pole position. However, when asked about the threat of the McLaren behind him before the race, Verstappen couldn’t resist a bit of trash talk about Norris’ car.
Verstappen’s fans, known as the ‘Orange Army’, are famous for their strong presence at races like the one at the Red Bull Ring. Interestingly, Norris‘ McLaren is also orange, so Verstappen took a playful jab at the Briton.
During a pre-race driver’s parade lap, Verstappen was asked, “Orange of course is the color here, but orange is also very dangerous behind you. How difficult is this at the moment beating and being a lot faster than the McLaren?”
With a grin, Verstappen replied, “Yeah, but this is the good orange,” pointing toward his fans. “The one behind me is ugly, so it’s okay. We’ll deal with that.“
The support for Verstappen this weekend has unsurprisingly been overwhelming. His fans have filled the grandstands at the beautiful Austrian GP venue by creating a sea of orange.
MAX CALLING THE ORANGE ARMY THE GOOD ORANGE AND THE ONES BEHIND HIM (MCLAREN) THE UGLY ONE pic.twitter.com/L52u7aGz3x
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) June 30, 2024
The Austrian GP holds special significance for the Dutchman and his team. It’s their home race since Red Bull competes under the Austrian flag. Also, the track itself is named the Red Bull Ring, after Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz bought it in 2004, the same year he acquired the Jaguar F1 team and rebranded both after the name of his company.
Meanwhile, Verstappen’s PR game has also been on point this weekend as he has arranged a special tribute for his loyal fans.
Fans can buy models of a special Max Verstappen helmet
A couple of weeks ago, Verstappen revealed, via an Instagram video, a special helmet with an all-orange color scheme, featuring snapshots of the packed stands filled with his cheering fans. This was a tribute to mark the resumption of the European leg of the championship ahead of the exciting triple-header in Spain, Austria, and Great Britain.
View this post on Instagram
The best part is that Verstappen’s fans can own a piece of this tribute. The special helmet is available for purchase in two sizes. The 1:2 scale helmet is priced at €179.95 ($194), while the 1:4 scale helmet is available for €79.95 ($87) on Verstappen.com.
The 26-year-old not only knows how to keep winning on the track but also knows how to keep his fans engaged and appreciated. As the race approaches, all eyes are on the front row, where Verstappen and Norris are set to battle it out for the second race in a row.
