Not only, but especially since the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, the fan camps are divided. Lewis Hamilton’s accident in Q3 in Austria was cheered on by Dutch spectators while Max Verstappen was booed at the previous race at Silverstone.
Hamilton himself condemned the cheers in Austria while acknowledging that what happened at Silverstone was also wrong. Many other drivers agreed with him. Passionate fans are good for the sport, says Daniel Ricciardo. However, one should not overshoot the mark.
“I think an accident falls into a different category, although of course rivalries are great,” said the Australian when asked about the incident with Hamilton.
Ricciardo ‘never a fan of boos’
“The rivalry between Lewis and Max, especially last year, has been great. And yes, like any sport, there are always pros and cons. I think it’s cool to fight on track and cheer become or something.”
“But I’ve never been a fan of boos, so I don’t condone boos. Of course, there are those that you like and those that you don’t necessarily cheer for. Still, I think when you have an accident you wish you didn’t have it see,” emphasizes Ricciardo.
“As for the rivalry thing, obviously that’s what makes the sport and the fans are behind their driver. That’s nice to see. But I think there’s a time and a place for everything and that ( Cheering after a serious accident; editor’s note) is not something I would wish for.”
McLaren driver appeals to mental maturity
After all, Formula 1 drivers are only human. “I think people have to think about that sometimes,” he says. “It’s easy when you’ve been standing in a crowd all day and you’ve obviously had a few beers, and when the guy next to you does that, you think it’s okay, so you can do that too.”
“But I have the feeling that you get to an age where you also mature and realize: Okay, the things I did when I was 15 shouldn’t be done anymore as a 30-year-old man. So you just have to be a little more sensible.”
George Russell finds similar words. “I think when you’re on the other side of the barrier, whether it’s in football or in motorsport, people sometimes forget that there’s a human being behind it,” says the Mercedes driver.
Norris resigned: Unfortunately, that’s part of it these days
“We’re all human: drivers, engineers, media, fans. And there’s no justification for booing or cheering anyone for any reason. We’re all risking our lives here and we know the dangers of motorsport. We just got that revisited recently.”
With this, Russell is addressing the accident of Guanyu Zhou at the British Grand Prix. “When you drive around at 300 km/h and someone cheers you when you crash into the wall … I don’t know how to put it,” said the Brit. His compatriot Lando Norris also condemned this behavior.
“It’s not what you like to see, especially when it was a pretty big accident,” says the McLaren driver. “I don’t know what you can do about it. It’s not a nice thing, of course, but unfortunately it also feels a bit like it’s part of life because that’s what fans do sometimes.”