“So Stupid & Disrespectful”: Max Verstappen & Co’s Harassment by “Pathetic” Fans During Miami GP Leaves F1 World Furious

Several drivers in Formula 1, especially the winners, have been subjected to booing on the track. They’ve dealt with it calmly, and often they have gone on to become legends of the sport, such as Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. In Miami last weekend, it was Max Verstappen. And to those booing, the Dutchman, who took the win coming from behind after starting P9, had a polite yet scathing reply.

As quoted by GrandPrix247 from Sky Sports, the championship leader said, “I think it is normal when you are winning and they don’t like who is winning. It is something for me which is absolutely fine as long as I am standing on the top. To me, the most important thing is I take the trophy home and they go back to their houses and they can… have a nice evening”.

Now, let’s keep the reply from the driver aside and see how the fans responded. Several F1 fans and the Orange Army came to defend the ongoing dominance of the reigning champion and his team after the fans at Miami International Autodrome hurled abuse at the squad while they were working on the grid. A video that has surfaced has left the fans fuming over the objectionable gestures shown to the team. The mechanics alongside Verstappen were quick to reply sweetly and then decided to ignore the stands.

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A few of the fans also questioned the type of fans joining the sport after Drive to Survive’s era. The disrespectful and disgusting behavior of the American fans, which formed a sizeable chunk of the growth of the sport, was brought into question and accused of spoiling the ecosystem of Formula 1.

Fans thrash the on-track fans for harassing Max Verstappen

Booing is a common part of sports. While some of it is acceptable, but the moment it turns into harassment, it becomes unacceptable. There are no excuses, just like for the fans who were straight-up “pathetic” in Miami. To them, Max Verstappen gave a befitting reply by winning the race. 

Max doesn’t care about the boos or anything negative thrown at him. But the fans believe that negativity of this kind has no place inside F1.

A few of them even called out the lack of scrutiny by British media, since it didn’t involve Lewis Hamilton. However, it appears to be far from the truth, as all the fans want to keep things respectful.

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With two more races coming in the United States, the focus will remain on the fans’ behavior towards the drivers. Otherwise, as discussed after several incidents, some sort of measure would be required to check the harassment.