Max Verstappen was booed by a selection of fans after winning the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend. This is a familiar experience for dominant F1 drivers.
Verstappen took victory for the seventh time in 10 races this season, beating McLaren driver Lando Norris by just over two seconds. Much has been made of the recent progress from Red Bull’s rivals, but the Dutchman nonetheless leads the championship by 69 points.
That means he could have three race wins in his ‘pocket’ if he triumphs at the upcoming Austrian GP. He’s already the overwhelming favourite to win a fourth straight world title and he could feasibly be out of sight by the summer break.
Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton were occasionally booed by spectators during their historic runs of success at Red Bull and Mercedes respectively. But Verstappen’s stranglehold on the sport is unprecedented.
Since the start of the 2022 season, he’s won 41 out of 54 races – a rate of 75.9%. Remarkable as it may be, Norris is among those to call this a ‘boring’ run for the sport.
But Verstappen wasn’t the only driver met with a hostile reception at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. And this time, it wasn’t a frontrunner.
Esteban Ocon booed by fans at Spanish Grand Prix
According to Speedweek, some fans also booed Alpine driver Esteban Ocon. When he walked out onto the stage at the fan zone with teammate Pierre Gasly, he faced jeers and whistles.
The report states that Ocon could ‘hardly be heard’, such was the volume of the booing. This prompted the organisers to display a message on the screen behind the drivers calling for ‘respect’.
“We ask for respect towards teams and guests,” it read. “Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and may lead to the cancellation of interviews.”
There are apparently two possible explanations for this reaction. The first is that the crowd took exception to Ocon’s recent on-track conduct, most notably his collision with Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The second is that they still remember his tense relationship with local hero Fernando Alonso in 2021 and 2022. The atmosphere within the team deteriorated prior to Alonso’s departure, culminating in a collision at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Alpine could ‘bin’ Ocon during F1 summer break
BBC F1 pundit Marc Priestley warned that there was a ‘massive situation brewing’ at Alpine after the Canadian GP. The team instructed Ocon to move aside to allow Gasly to attack Daniel Ricciardo, but didn’t return the place when the latter failed to pull off a move.
This left Ocon livid, and Priestley suggested that things could become toxic ahead of his now-confirmed departure at the end of the season. Team principal Bruno Famin has since vowed that both drivers will receive equal treatment.
But there are murmurs in the background that Alpine may consider ‘binning’ Ocon during August’s summer break. To do so, they would either have to agree a pay-off or prove that he’s no longer working in the best interests of the team.
If that materialised, then Jack Doohan would be the likeliest replacement. The Australian has been serving as the team’s reserve driver this year and is reportedly the favourite for the vacant seat.
The post Report: Midfield F1 driver ‘whistled and booed’ in Spanish GP fan zone after tension with Fernando Alonso appeared first on F1 Oversteer.