Lewis Hamilton has urged those attending the British Grand Prix not to boo Max Verstappen after the Dutchman was targeted by swathes of unfriendly F1 fans at Silverstone.
A hostile reception was expected for Verstappen this weekend, and that proved to be the case on Thursday when he was targeted while on a track walk. Things got more intense on Saturday, as he was roundly booed moments after climbing out of his car after qualifying.
As he gave an on-track interview to young former racing starlet Billy Monger, the chorus of boos intensified. He later said the noise from the stand behind him had been so loud that he struggled to hear the questions he was asked.
"It was a bit disappointing because I couldn't understand Billy," said the Red Bull star. "The rest, if they want to boo, then they do that. For me, it is not going to change anything. I am happy to always be here. It is a great track and great for the atmosphere in general. Maybe some of them, they don't like me but that is fine. They all have their own opinions and I don't care."
Much of the antipathy towards Verstappen stems from his intense title fight with Hamilton last year. Some fans of the Mercedes man felt his rival had been too aggressive in some moves, while they were apoplectic with the way Verstappen won the title – through an error from race director Michael Masi at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Responding to the booing directed at Verstappen this weekend, Hamilton called upon the Silverstone crowd to stop. "I think we're better than that," he said. "They shouldn't do that. Of course fans feel emotions and some may still feel the pain from last year. But I don't agree."
Meanwhile, Christian Horner described the reception his star driver had received as "unusual". "It's never nice to hear boos for any driver and it's unusual for a British Grand Prix crowd to do that, because they usually appreciate all drivers," said the Red Bull chief.
"But it's something that he accepts. Lewis is their favourite driver here, I've got no issue with that. Next weekend, I know that there's going to be a lot of support. He has massive support wherever we go around the world. So you know, it's one of those things."
