Formula 1 held its first season launch event at O2 in London last Tuesday, with all 10 teams attending to unveil the design for the 2025 season. As 2025 represents the 75th anniversary of the sport, F1 and FIA held an event to commemorate the occasion.
But now, the sport's governing body is chastising the “tribalist” booing of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner at the event.
Fia has issued a statement “[g]Competition throughout the history of motorsports has contributed to making it a very exciting experience for fans. But it is a culture of respect that supports sport at all levels. So it was disappointing to hear the crowd tribalists' responses to FIA Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team principal and CEO Christian Horner at the F1 launch in London. .
“Max and Christian both contribute significantly to the sport we love, and in the coming season we shouldn't lose sight of it.”
This statement is as the FIA continues to shed light on the prevalence of online abuse in motorsports. At the beginning of February, via a dedicated FIA-named website Oppose online abuse – “Half of the sports officials and umpires are now “everyday” targets targeting online abuse,” he said.
In addition, Oppose online abuse It turns out that “50% of all abuse directed at competitors are misogynistic or racist, a noticeable increase over the past year.”
You can view the entire report here.
“Last year, the UAOA highlighted the catastrophic personal tolls of online abuse in competitors and athletes. This second edition of the report is equally unacceptable abuse that authorities and judges face. It sheds light on: This is an essential member of the sports community who ensures that our competition is fair, robust and integrity. Mohammed Ben Suleim saidFIA president and founder of United are opposed to online abuse.
“While it is encouraging to see more coalitions adopting anti-abuse countermeasures, these findings show that the scale of abuse continues to grow. The UAOA's work in 2025 is It is important in creating meaningful and lasting solutions that promote collaboration across the sports, politics and technology sectors and protect all members of the community.”
“We are standing with all our competitors, officials, volunteers and fans to oppose this growing threat,” the FIA statement on F1 75 Live continued. “We encourage the sports community to consider the impact of their behavior, both online and offline.”
It is also worth noting that Verstappen and Horner weren't the only ones to boo on F1 75 Live. O2 fans booed the FIA logo when they appeared on screen during celebrations.
