Lewis Hamilton takes off in Formula 1 qualifying at Spielberg. And there is a lot of applause and cheering from the ranks. A week earlier, Max Verstappen was booed during an interview at Silverstone.
“Both are not very sporty,” says Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. He criticizes this behavior of Formula 1 fans.
Wolff: “I think if a driver flies off and ends up in the gangs, and that’s also applauded strongly, then you should criticize this clapping or question the attitude and understanding of motorsport. Booing isn’t good either.”
If something doesn’t go as planned, then “we’re not satisfied as a team,” says Wolff. “But booing is a personal attack on a driver. The fans should try to put themselves in the driver’s position. Then they stand there and are booed. I don’t think booing is okay.”
Ferrari team boss Binotto also opposes the booing
Which does not mean that Wolff wants to restrict access to Formula 1 in any way. On the contrary: “We love the fans, they should be here at the track and emotional and passionate. But it must not be personal,” said the Mercedes team boss. “Hopefully we can make that clear to people.”
Wolff is supported in this matter by Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto. He says: “Booing is never great, never good and never right.”
But Formula 1 is a sport. “One must never forget that,” says Binotto. “Because when you talk about sport, there is always a lot of passion involved. The fans are certainly passionate about it. But you mustn’t forget: Sport should be something beautiful. You should enjoy it and be entertained.” There’s no place for booing.
Hamilton: Didn’t even notice the jubilation
After the qualifying experience in Spielberg, Hamilton himself stated that he “didn’t even hear” the cheering of the fans. “I still had my hands full [im Auto]. I only found out later.”
The seven-time world champion condemns this reaction from the audience: “I can’t approve of that, one way or another. A driver could have come to the hospital and that’s applauded? It doesn’t get into my head that people do something like that, knowing that motorsport is dangerous.”
“I’m grateful not to have ended up in the hospital and not to have been seriously injured. You just can’t celebrate a fall or an injury or an accident,” says Hamilton. “That [Ausbuhen] shouldn’t have happened at Silverstone either, even if it wasn’t about a crash there. And it shouldn’t happen here either.”