Revealed: The other target of boos from hostile US Grand Prix crowd
There were boos as Max Verstappen received the winner's trophy.
Southern hospitality was not evident in Austin on Sunday as Max Verstappen was subjected to booing when receiving his trophy for winning the United States GP.
But was he the main and only target of the boos?
Winning Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, Verstappen not only bagged his 15th win of this season but it also marked his 50th overall with the driver the second fastest after Michael Schumacher to hit 50.
Fans booed as Max Verstappen was presented the winner’s trophy
Speaking to Jenson Button immediately after the race, the 2009 World Champion brought up that 50 to a notable cheer from the crowd.
However, it wasn’t long before the cheers turned to boos as the reigning World Champion was introduced onto the podium by the announcer.
Whilst there was clear booing in this introduction of Verstappen, there was then another round of boos when governor of Texas Greg Abbott presented the three-time World Champion with his race-winning trophy.
Somos Racers blamed the governor for the crowd’s reaction, taking to X to say: “In fact they were not booing Max but rather the governor of Texas who presented the winner’s trophy to VER. Greg Abbott has very little popularity in the state.
Another X user, Rick Games, agreed: “The announcers said it was “because they liked Perez better” and I nearly jumped out of my chair in shock. I knew precisely who they were booing as soon as I read the “trophy presented by … ”
That was given some credence by the barrage of negative replies to Abbott’s own X message, as he hailed a “perfect day for racing” at the Circuit of The Americas.
Featuring photographs of himself and the race winner, and one where he posed with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, he added: “Congratulations to Max Verstappen, this year’s F1 U.S. Grand Prix winner! Proud to showcase Texas to racing fans from around the world this weekend.”
But whether the jeering and booing was aimed at Verstappen or Abbott or both, former F1 driver Timo Glock says that should never happen.
“Completely incomprehensible, you shouldn’t do that. Max Verstappen would have deserved a good round of applause. Inappropriate,” he told Sky Deutschland.
His fellow former F1 diver Karun Chandhok stated on social media that “booing is pathetic.”
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However, even if some of the booing was aimed at Verstappen, the Dutchman really doesn’t care.
Asked after the race if it bothered him, he replied: “No, in the end I’m the one that goes home with the trophy, fine by me!”
Pressed to what if it was ’10x worse’ in Mexico, he simply said: “Then I’ll still go home with the trophy! So that’s totally fine!”
That same question about Mexico was put to his team boss Christian Horner and he also doesn’t foresee it bothering his lead driver.
“I don’t think Max is going to get the warmest reception in Mexico!” he told Sky F1. “But that’s water off a duck’s back.
“One year you are the villain, the next year you are the hero.”
Read next: Explained: Why Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from US Grand Prix
