“Checo hired people from his cartel” – Fans shocked to hear that Max Verstappen will have bodyguards for the Mexican GP

Helmut Marko confirmed that Max Verstappen will have extra security at the Mexican GP.

“Checo hired people from his cartel” – Fans shocked to hear that Max Verstappen will have bodyguards for the Mexican GP

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (image via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen is having a historic run in the 2023 F1 season. The Dutch driver has annihilated the competition this year, including teammate Sergio Perez. Perez has a massive and passionate fan following in his home country, Mexico. Red Bull consultant Dr. Helmut Marko revealed that Verstappen will be having bodyguards at the Mexican GP after receiving threats on social media ahead of the weekend.

Verstappen has outperformed his teammate on most occasions this season. Red Bull insists that Perez has simply failed to match the Dutch driver. However, some fans believe that the Austrian team has favored the three-time world champion. This has made a few fans furious towards Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

Subsequently, Marko confirmed that the Dutch driver will be accompanied by bodyguards throughout the Mexican GP weekend. Certainly, an embarrassing affair for the Austrian team as it is the home race for its other driver. However, Helmut Marko clarified that Max Verstappen is not fond of the extra security.

FS Video

Max doesn’t actually want that [bodyguards] and is relaxed. But we have responsibility for him. So we just want to be on the safe side.

Helmut Marko told F1-insider.com

Fans unhappy with the need for extra security for Max Verstappen

Fans on Twitter were quick to share their views. One user joked about Sergio Perez having called in people from a cartel to threaten Max Verstappen ahead of the Mexican GP. The user wrote, “Wow checo hired people from his cartel.”

Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

While another fan reckoned that the bodyguards were actually for Helmut Marko and not Verstappen. The 80-year-old had faced backlash for his alleged xenophobic comments against Perez recently. The fan commented, “Marko lying, he’s ordering those bodyguards for himself.”

Similarly, one fan believed that it would be better if Marko looked after himself first before talking about the security of the Dutch driver. The fan replied, “Marko should be more worried about himself, not for Max.” While another user was sad to see that bodyguards had become a necessity for Verstappen in Mexico. The user said, “That is unfortunate that this is needed.”

Certainly, it is alarming to see extra security measures put in place for a driver ahead of a Grand Prix. However, security must always be the priority in Formula 1 and all precautions must be taken. As such, Red Bull made the right call to bring in bodyguards for Max Verstappen in what could be a difficult weekend for the Austrian team.

In case you missed it: