Max Verstappen claims those who ‘can’t appreciate’ his F1 dominance are FAKE fans

Max Verstappen didn't mince his words about fans who see his dominance as boring.

Max Verstappen claims those who ‘can’t appreciate’ his F1 dominance are FAKE fans

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO)

Red Bull’s mighty dominance of the 2023 season ended this at Singapore GP as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz used Max Verstappen‘s team’s weakness to come out on top. This triumph and the Ferrai drivers’ impressive last-lap battle with McLaren and Mercedes heightened the criticism of Red Bull’s dominance. Now ahead of the Japanese GP, Verstappen has addressed the criticism and has branded the fans who fail to acknowledge the dominance as ‘not real F1 fans.’

Before the Singapore GP, Red Bull won all 14 season races, with Verstappen claiming victory in 12. The Milton Keynes-based team failed even to finish within the top five, primarily due to a wrong set-up direction that left their RB19 underperforming on the challenging Marina Bay Circuit. It was the Dutchaman’s first non-podium finish of the year.

YouTube video

Recognizing one of their most challenging weekends, Max Verstappen, in response to the fans who oppose Red Bull’s dominance this year and are branding it as boring, said that they aren’t true fans of the sport. He claimed that he was dominating because his team did a better job than its rivals. To Verstappen’s point, F1 has always been a sport where the team and driver with the fast cars dominate while others just play catchup.

FS Video

“I don’t think about what is good for F1, I don’t think it was necessarily bad, what was happening, we were just better than everyone else. If people can’t appreciate that, you are not a real fan, but this is how it goes. We didn’t perform and…..They shouldn’t win because people say it’s boring that we are winning,” said Max Verstappen, as reported by Racingnews356.com

Discover: Commentator from Max Verstappen’s country RIPS apart Charles Leclerc over Singapore GP performance

Red Bull’s can win the 2023 constructors’ championship at the Japanese GP

Red Bull has a chance to clinch the constructors’ championship at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix despite encountering difficulties during the Singapore Grand Prix. They currently lead the constructors’ championship with 597 points, with Mercedes and Ferrari trailing behind with 289 and 265 points, respectively.

Max and Sergio
Max and Sergio (credits: PlanetF1)

For Red Bull to secure the constructors’ championship in Japan, they must outscore Mercedes by at least 1 point and ensure that Ferrari doesn’t outscore them by 24 points or more. Ahead of the Japanese GP, Max Verstappen acknowledged that the team had valuable insights from their performance at the Singapore GP. Verstappen also claimed that they have analyzed their mistakes and are determined to maintain their dominant form.

With only seven Grand Prix races left in the season, along with three Sprint races, 206 points remain available for teams to accumulate until the end of the 2023 season. If Red Bull underperforms in the Japanese Grand Prix and falls short of their expectations, which seems highly unlikely, Mercedes could seize an opportunity to narrow the gap. However, It’s worth noting that Mercedes trails behind Red Bull by a considerable margin of 308 points.

In case you missed it: