“We are talking about a seven-time world champion”– Dutch GP organizer asks home fans to show respect to Lewis Hamilton.
The animosity of the orange army (Max Verstappen fans) towards Lewis Hamilton has only increased after the collision between the two drivers in Silverstone.
And in the following races, the Briton has been jeered by Verstappen’s fans, and considering the Dutch GP is Vertsappen’s home race, Hamilton is expected to receive an even more hostile environment.
Wow! Lewis Hamilton booed and jeered as he speaks to Johnny Herbert after chalking up #F1 pole 101.
“Booing fuels me,” retorts Lewis— Ian Parkes (@ianparkesf1) July 31, 2021
Foreseeing this, Dutch Grand Prix organizer Jan Lammers asks fans to surprise him by giving an excellent welcome at Zandvoort, which people owe because of his accomplishments.
“Sport must fraternise and we must not get into hooligan situations like with football,” Lammers told nu.nl. “It’s also emotion – you don’t turn an Ajax fan into a Feyenoord fan and vice versa.”
“It’s logical that everyone has their own preferences, but let’s do it in a civilised way in such a way that we surprise Hamilton with our sportsmanship and hospitality.”
“We are talking about a seven-time world champion who can be compared to a Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. You have to give them a big applause in a stadium and not make assumptions on just one incident.”
Expecting a large audience
Meanwhile, Lammers is confident of hosting a large audience at Zandvoort, as the government is set to lift some COVID restrictions for the large audiences.
“We hope and expect that sports events will take place from September 1 as we are used to,” he added. “We are not worried. It is a matter of tackling it and having confidence.”
In 2020, the Dutch Grand Prix pulled out of the calendar due to the COVID-19 concerns and this year, they are set to make a comeback, with fans probably wishing their local boy Verstappen winning the race.
