The issue of booing has garnered mixed reactions from two prominent Formula 1 drivers as the trend grows among their track rivals.
During a recent pre-race fan event in Barcelona, soon-to-be-ex-Alpine driver Esteban Ocon was noticeably booed.
"When the Alpine duo were announced, whistles and boos rang out around the circuit, and when Esteban Ocon appeared, it became so loud that he could hardly be heard," reported Speed Week.
To address this, event coordinators put up a screen message behind the drivers calling for "respect" and warning that "anti-social behavior will not be tolerated and may lead to the cancellation of interviews."
Moreover, during the podium celebration after the Spanish GP, the victor and three-time world champion Max Verstappen received boos from the local spectators.
"It's never a nice thing, honestly," commented McLaren's Lando Norris, "but people are always going to boo, I think, no matter what. You have it in every sport."
Norris acknowledged he might be "digging a hole for myself" with his following remark, but he implied that the majority of the booing comes from "people who don't know the most about motorsport."
"I think people maybe should appreciate more," he suggested, "but every driver is going to get boos at some point."
Lewis Hamilton, who had a notably contentious rivalry with Verstappen during their 2021 championship fight, although their relationship has since improved, noted that Verstappen shouldn't be treated with disrespect, yet he pondered the level of hostility the Dutchman faces from F1 fans.
"On the race weekends, he always has a huge crowd always," observed the Mercedes driver. "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," Hamilton concluded.
