During the F1 75 Live event in London on Tuesday, where new Formula 1 car liveries and designs were revealed, Max Verstappen and Christian Horner received not exactly a great reaction from the crowd.

As soon as the Red Bull team principal and his driver appeared on stage, they were met with loud boos, which continued whenever their names were mentioned or they were shown on screen.

This isn’t the first time Verstappen has faced this kind of reaction in the UK. He was heavily booed at last year’s British Grand Prix, and now his father, Jos Verstappen, has said that his son will no longer attend special Formula 1 events in England.

The reaction from British fans apparently stems from the 2021 season, when Verstappen won his first world championship in a dramatic and controversial final race against Lewis Hamilton. Many British fans still feel that Hamilton was treated unfairly, and this has led to ongoing tensions between Red Bull and UK supporters.

The FIA, Formula 1’s governing body, was not happy with the booing and released a statement criticizing the crowd’s behavior.

“Great rivalries throughout the history of motorsport have contributed to making it such an exciting experience for fans,” an FIA spokesperson said.

“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 1 World Champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner, at the F1 launch in London.”

The FIA also defended Verstappen and Horner, reminding fans of their importance to the sport. “Max and Christian have both contributed greatly to the sport we love. In the season ahead, we should not lose sight of that.”

The organization also highlighted its efforts to fight against abuse in sports, mentioning its United Against Online Abuse campaign.

“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.”