Toto Wolff refutes claims of Max Verstappen being booed at F1 75

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff gave a firm stance on Max Verstappen's booing incident during F1 75 in London.

Toto Wolff refutes claims of Max Verstappen being booed at F1 75

Toto Wolff and Max Verstappen (images via IMAGO)

Formula 1 held its first-ever season launch at London’s O2 the past week. The sport celebrated its 75th anniversary. However, the event made headlines for the wrong reasons after Max Verstappen was booed by fans. Now, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has argued that this was not the case.

Max Verstappen‘s father Jos Verstappen claimed that the 27-year-old was unhappy after being booed by 25,000 fans in the stadium. So much so, that the reigning world champion threatened to not attend another event in England again. The FIA too issued a statement condemning the booing.

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Toto Wolff insisted that he didn’t feel Verstappen was booed. Rather, the Austrian billionaire pointed out that there were cheers for the Red Bull star as well. As such, Wolff asserted that the Dutch driver did not boo, despite the claims made by Jos Verstappen.

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I don’t think he [Verstappen] got booed exactly, there was plenty of cheers I heard for him as well. I think, as you say, I don’t think that Max was booed.

Toto Wolff told Sky F1

Toto Wolff applauds F1 75’s audience despite Max Verstappen booing

The Mercedes boss showered praise on F1 75, calling it a great event. Toto Wolff claimed that the spectators created a good environment. Moreover, he pointed out that all teams created a nice show while presenting their cars. Wolff reckoned that the season launch has established a precedent for years to come.

Toto Wolff (via planetf1)
Toto Wolff (via planetf1)

It was a great event. The spectators there were great, the presentation of the cars was good and it sets a new format for the years to come and that is the positive we need to take from that.

Toto Wolff added

Certainly, Formula 1 might decide to continue with season launches in the future. However, the sport will need to be vary about avoiding any incidents of booing in the near future. It remains to be seen, if the next iteration of season launch does take place, where it will be hosted.