Helmut Marko Reacts To Verstappen Being Booed On Podium In Austin

Monday, 23 October 2023 at 15:00

Updated at Monday, 23 October 2023 at 15:19

Red Bull Racing F1 advisor Helmut Marko commented on Max Verstappen being booed by the crowd after standing at the top of the podium for the 2023 United States Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen has achieved what not many other drivers in F1 history achieved. Last race at the Circuit of the Americas, he reached another great milestone in his career.

The 2023 United States Grand Prix marked the Flying Dutchman's 50th career Formula One win. Only four drivers before Verstappen managed to achieve this milestone.

However, the post-race interview and his podium celebrations were interrupted by people in the crowd shouting "Checo" (the nickname of his teammate Sergio Perez) and loud booing. Red Bull Racing's advisor Helmut Marko told Sky Germany after the race:

"We are in contact with a lot of Mexicans. The majority are very friendly and fair, but there are always some, let's say enthusiastic people, who don't maintain the fair sporting standard. But we have no concerns and are happy to go to Mexico."

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While Verstappen told the media in the past he does not mind booing the crowd, this one might hit closer to heart as the people booing Verstappen are fans of the same team he is driving for.

The United States Grand Prix takes place close to Mexico. Therefore, it is almost like a home race to Perez in terms of the crowd. The Mexican driver had a better weekend than the previous two but got lucky.

Rumors surfaced a few weeks ago that Perez's second position in the Championship will be the condition for keeping his seat in Red Bull.

Even though Christian Horner has denied these Rumors, he has admitted previously that securing a one-two in the Drivers' Championship is the "next big thing" for Red Bull.

Lewis Hamilton, standing in third place in the Drivers' Championship, is the closest competitor to Checo. He closed the gap by three points on the sprint race and could have closed it even more down to only 19 points, but got disqualified after the race.

Consequently, Hamilton scored zero points, and Perez's lead extended to a more comfortable 39 points going into the following weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix.