The rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton might be over on track, but the fire still burns off track. The championship boiled over and gripped every single individual watching, putting them on the edge of their seats. And despite a definite result, the controversial end to the season did not give fans the closure they perhaps needed.
The repercussions of this rivalry are evident halfway through the 2022 season, with the Hungarian GP as the latest proof. We are all aware of the incidents of British and Austrian GP. In continuation of the Austrian GP, the burning of merchandise has almost become a trend among fans.
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However, this trend has forced a fairly quiet Verstappen to speak out on the actions of these fans. The Red Bull man condemned these actions and said, “These individuals, I definitely don’t agree with that because that’s just disgusting. That video of burning merch, I think that’s disgusting.”
“Overall, I think the majority of the fans were cheering a lot, I think, throughout the race, and also on the podium, for every driver. I think that’s how it should be,” he added.
The burning of Mercedes merchandise is forcing the Dutchman to speak out, which points to the severity of these actions. Rivalries apart, such actions encourage others and nobody would like to see anyone get hurt because of the actions.
As Verstappen has made it clear, words don’t hurt individuals as much as actions do.
Max Verstappen spoke up against the cap-burning ceremony but does not mind a little hazing
The Dutchman has also been on the wrong end of poor fan behavior. Proof of that was the 2022 British GP, where the crowd’s jeers were so loud Verstappen could not hear the interviewer.
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However, the Dutchman did not mind the boos. He said, “If they want to boo, they do that. For me, it’s not going to change anything.”
“Maybe some of them don’t like me, but that’s fine. They all have their own opinions. I don’t care.”
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Let’s hope that Verstappen’s words will help fans understand what is the appropriate behavior during a race event and what is not.