F1 Antagonist Role Sees Max Verstappen in the Same Boat as Champions Michael Schumacher & Sebastian Vettel

Formula 1 supporters are among the most passionate sports fans in the world. Many a time, we see polarization among fans, mostly divided between the reigning champion and the challenger. This can often result in the challenger’s fans jeering the champion driver. Now that Max Verstappen is the champion, he was on the receiving end of fans’ boos in Abu Dhabi. Martin Brundle, however, did not like the gesture.

Last year before Max Verstappen won his maiden championship, Lewis Hamilton received a similar treatment. Hamilton and Verstappen famously crashed in Silverstone while racing hard against each other. Ever since then we saw Hamilton getting jeered by fans in the following GPs. Verstappen, however, had no sympathy for his rival and did not think it was up to him to tell fans how to behave.

Fans booing Max Verstappen irked Martin Brundle

Max Verstappen won last year’s drivers’ championship under controversial circumstances. While Red Bull was only shrugging that off, FIA presented its report on the 2021 cost cap and found the team in violation. Resultantly, they once again came under heavy fire from fans. Even their golden boy was not immune to the treatment as spectators jeered him last weekend despite winning the race.

Reacting to the incident, SI quoted F1 commentator Martin Brundle saying, “I was very sad to hear some boos for Max at the end. We have experienced that before for the likes of Schumacher, Vettel, Nico Rosberg and others.”

Brundle hinted the cost cap saga had inspired the reaction and Max refusing to let Sergio Perez pass in Brazil. He continued, “Red Bull and Verstappen could perhaps have played smarter hands in Mexico and Brazil over the cost cap, but nothing can take away from their utterly dominant performance this season.”

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Champion drivers receiving negative reception from spectators is not a recent phenomenon, as Brundle mentioned. Sebastian Vettel, who had a 4-year dominant run from 2010 to 2013, did not like the treatment he got back then.

Sebastian Vettel once expressed his displeasure about getting jeered by fans

The German had one of the most dominant runs in F1’s history, winning 4 back-to-back titles. However, he too had his fair share of negative reception then and believed fans grew tired of his dominance.

He revealed at the end of the 2013 season, “It’s very difficult for me personally, to receive boos, even though you haven’t done anything wrong. At the time it hurts not to get the reception you expect but I think I’m clever enough to understand why they do it.”

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What do you think about jeering becoming normalized in the sport? Should FIA reprimand fans guilty of such behavior? Or should drivers just learn to turn a deaf ear?