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The FIA have released a statement condemning the boos from fans for Max Verstappen and Christian Horner at F1 75.
The jeers from the crowd inside The O2 for the F1 2025 season launch were audible when Verstappen and Horner were on stage.
The Red Bull duo have now received backing by the sport’s governing body.
FIA speak out after Max Verstappen, Christian Horner boos
An FIA spokesperson said: “Great rivalries throughout the history of motorsport have contributed to making it such an exciting experience for fans.
“But what underpins sport at all levels is a culture of respect. As such, it was disappointing to hear the crowd’s tribalist reaction to FIA Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner, at the F1 launch in London.
“Max and Christian have both contributed greatly to the sport we love. In the season ahead we should not lose sight of that.
“As part of the FIA’s commitment to protect the integrity of the sport, we are leading a coalition tackling online abuse in sport under the banner of our United Against Online Abuse campaign.
“We stand with all of our competitors, officials, volunteers, and fans to unite against this growing threat.
“We urge the sporting community to consider the impact of their actions both online and offline.”
According to several reports, it will be discussed at the next World Motor Sport Council meeting in the coming week.
Red Bull’s dominance over F1 – which started at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – waned midway through last year.
Verstappen was able to cling on to win a fourth consecutive drivers’ title despite his aggressive driving being widely criticised after skirmishes with Lando Norris.
But Red Bull’s F1 car was no longer the best in the sport.
McLaren overtook them to win the constructors’, and Ferrari also finished ahead of them.
Red Bull hope to provide Verstappen with a car competitive enough to claim a fifth driver’s title in a row in the 2025 F1 season, which begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 14-16.
