Red Bull endured an awkward night at the F1 75 launch event on Tuesday. There were boos – albeit mixed with some cheers – when Max Verstappen’s name was mentioned.
But the worst moment of the night for the six-time constructors’ champions was when Christian Horner was up on stage. Each team was allocated seven minutes for their livery, and Red Bull reserved two of those for Horner’s speech.
However, the team boss was jeered by the crowd at the O2 Arena. He didn’t directly address the reception, but he was clearly aware of it.
Indeed, the only time the crowd showed greater hostility was when the FIA logo was shown on the big screens. The sport’s governing body are under fire for their clampdown on driver conduct, which many see as draconian.
Neither Verstappen nor Liam Lawson spoke after appearing on stage. This was a pre-planned decision.
Verstappen has often complained about the ‘show’ surrounding his racing commitments. F1 75 was very much sport as entertainment, so it was always going to be hard to win over the world champion.
Red Bull don’t understand why they were the only team booed at F1 75
According to ESPN’s Nate Saunders, speaking on the Unlapped show, Red Bull were ‘surprised’ by the reaction. Some would argue the response to Horner was predictable.
In 2021, the Bulls were involved in a bitter fight with home hero Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team. Verstappen eventually prevailed after a conclusion in Abu Dhabi that still generates ill-feeling.
Last year, they went up against another British driver, this time Lando Norris. Norris never really got close to Verstappen, but the Dutchman defended his lead with some controversial wheel-to-wheel tactics.
Saunders says Red Bull would have found the boos easier to accept if other figures had received the same treatment. But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was cheered even after parting with Hamilton and making divisive remarks about his ‘shelf life’.
“Red Bull were surprised about it,” said Saunders. “They were quite unhappy. They said booing is one thing – they were unhappy that it only seemed to be at them.
“Toto went on stage, no booing. Lando did. There were quite a lot of McLaren fans there actually.”
F1 had to censor Jack Whitehall after seeing the jokes he planned to make
Like the team themselves, the FIA are concerned by the Red Bull boos. They wanted the audience to show more respect.
Red Bull spent £800,000 on their launch spectacle, but it seems all they’ve received in return is negative PR. Perhaps it will increase their motivation for the season ahead.
A lot of the sport’s biggest names were the butt of jokes during the ceremony. But these were light-hearted jibes that were easier to accept.
It’s now emerged that F1 bosses watered down Jack Whitehall’s jokes. The comedian wanted to be more controversial after he was named as the host, but they had to keep the teams happy.
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