Max Verstappen booed at Silverstone? Lando Norris stance revealed in resurfaced comments
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen
Could Max Verstappen be booed by fans at this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, just a week after clashing with home hero Lando Norris in Austria?
Norris made his stance clear at the recent Spanish Grand Prix, where the McLaren driver remarked that “people are always going to boo, no matter what” after Verstappen was treated to a rude reception by the Barcelona crowd.
Lando Norris response to Max Verstappen boos resurface on eve of British GP
Verstappen and Norris came to blows while duelling for the lead in the closing laps in Austria last weekend, with both drivers suffering punctures in the incident at Turn 3 on Lap 64 of 71.
That incident opened the door for Norris’s compatriot George Russell to collect Mercedes’ first F1 victory since the penultimate race of the 2022 season in Brazil.
Opinion has been split on the incident, with Norris’s team principal at McLaren, Andrea Stella, claiming the FIA’s failure to punish Verstappen “properly” after a series of incidents with Lewis Hamilton in 2021 had emboldened the Red Bull driver to race with such aggression.
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Verstappen and Hamilton collided on a number of occasions during a bitter 2021 title battle, most memorably at Silverstone, where first-lap contact at the infamous Copse corner resulted in the Red Bull driver being taken to hospital for precautionary checks.
Hamilton overcame a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision – the same punishment Verstappen received following his clash with Norris in Austria – to win the race, with members of Red Bull’s hierarchy calling for the seven-time World Champion to be banned in the aftermath.
Asked in the post-race press conference in Spain if the public’s preparedness to boo Verstappen is indicative of a lack of appreciation for the Dutchman’s achievements, Norris told media including PlanetF1.com: “No.”
Norris then expanded on his thoughts, adding: “It’s difficult to say, I think. It’s never a nice thing, honestly.
“People are always going to boo, I think, no matter what. You have it in every sport, you support people and you don’t support other people. I think it’s happened in sport for years and years and years.
“And Max is winning every race, so people are not going to like that and it definitely makes the sport less exciting, but that’s just because he’s doing a good job.
“There’s a fine line. I think everyone within the sport appreciates it and respects it – you have to and I think everyone does, but people who don’t know the most about motorsport are probably not going to be able to appreciate as much because they don’t know what really goes into it and what it takes to be in that position and do what he’s doing.
“You’re always going to have boos, is my [point], and I think there’s a level of disrespect and respect. Any version of disrespect, I don’t think that’s OK.
“I’m trying to not dig a hole for myself here. I just think…whatever.
“I would say no, I think people appreciate what Max has done. I think people maybe should appreciate more, but every driver is going to get boos at some point.”
Hamilton, who finished third behind Verstappen and Norris in Barcelona, insisted that Verstappen cannot be faulted having won 51 of the last 77 races stretching back to the start of his maiden title-winning season.
He said: “Honestly, I’m not really on social media or reading the news a lot.
“I’m not tapped into that to know exactly, but on the race weekends he always has a huge crowd always, so he’s always got amazing support.
“And at the end of the day, he does a fantastic job. Every weekend he delivers.
“He’s got a great team and obviously a great car, but you can’t fault him.”
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