Formula 1 is in Austria for the ninth race of the 2023 F1 season. Austria, being the home country of Red Bull, draws many fans yearly. Now with the inclusion of Max Verstappen, Red Bull, and Verstappen, fans flock together to give the Spielberg circuit a massive blockbuster.
The Red Bull fans, as well as the Verstappen army, who are known to be notorious for their behavior and mad support for their star and team, often become a nightmare for the opposition.
As the huge presence of fans naturally becomes a tough track to race for the rivals, they often become a target of boos and banters. This time it was Toto Wolff on the receiving end, but he didn’t let it go easily.
Wolff fights back with a banter
As Mercedes is in Red Bull Ring in Austria for the race, the Mercedes team principal is subjected to boos from the audience. Given he’s in the enemy territory, this wasn’t something unexpected.
But the Mercedes boss, who’s himself an Austrian, decided to deal a return blow to the fan. Taking the mic during the fan and promotional event, Wolff asked, looking at the fan as per a Twitter video, “Who is booing? Show me who is booing?”
Following this, the 51-year-old said as he pointed out to the fan, “You are booing. You should drink less beer.” This made the crowd crazy as they cheered the reply. The billionaire boss didn’t stop there.
Taking the final blow, the Silver Arrows boss quipped, “You are really not a nice-looking guy.” Hell broke loose following the statement as the fan probably had to look for damage control as savage Wolff put down his mic.
Despite the dig, Wolff blames Verstappen for the poor show
The Sprint on Saturday saw a dismal performance from the Silver Arrows. While they recovered brilliantly in the race, their Sprint shootout went pretty shambolic.
Both the drivers started beyond the top ten as George Russell started from P15, while Lewis Hamilton, who started from P18, went out in SQ1. Wolff, however, blamed Verstappen for the debacle.
The Dutchman was believed to have impeded the Briton as the Mercedes driver was gearing up for the one last shot at qualification. The impedance not only evaded FIA’s eyes but also left Hamilton in a hard place regarding point salvation. In spite of everything, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell are hopeful of a turnaround in the main race on Sunday.
