As has been an unwanted theme for 2022, the Mexican Grand Prix will unfortunately be remembered partly for disgraceful fan behaviour, similar to that witnessed at the British, Austrian, Hungarian, Dutch, and United States Grand Prix.
At the British Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, who claimed his 14th win of the season on Sunday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, was subject to boos and jeers, from a wild Lewis Hamilton-based crowd, given that it was the seven-time World Champion’s home race.
Hamilton was subject to the same behaviour as well as racism at Austria, Hungary, and The Netherlands, from a mixture of Red Bull and Verstappen fans.
Verstappen and Sergio Pérez were then on the receiving end once again at the Circuit of the Americas during an on-stage interview, which came two weeks after Red Bull’s ‘minor’ budget cap breach was announced by the FIA.
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Unfortunately, Hamilton was then again, the sole victim of boos, jeers, and reportedly even worse in Mexico City last weekend, marking the downward spiral in fan behaviour.
To give Pérez credit, the Mexican driver attempted to get the booing fans to stop the inappropriate action, by wagging his finger in the air at his beloved fans.
Given that Pérez is a hero to many of them, the Red Bull driver’s actions certainly do hit home just how serious the issue has become throughout the paddock, with Pérez having felt the full force of boos himself at COTA.
Hamilton’s boos came mainly during his post-race interview after finishing second, where he admitted to having felt a “bit awkward” in Mexico due to the reaction he’d received across the Grand Prix.
The inappropriate behaviour has certainly stemmed over into social media since the ignition of Hamilton’s and Verstappen’s rivalry last season, with a concerning number of so-called ‘fans’ constantly flooding drivers and journalists posts with abusive and more often than not racist language.
Formula 1 is trying to drive out the behaviour which has no place in the sport, through the ‘Drive it Out’ campaign, which was implemented to target online abuse and racism.
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Formula 1 presenter and reporter, Will Buxton, shared on Twitter that Hamilton had been victim of “boos and worse” after the Grand Prix concluded, adding that the drivers “deserve nothing but respect”.
“The noise from the crowd today at the track was incredible,” said Buxton.
“But I’m sad to learn some of that may not have been positive, that there were boos and worse for Lewis after the race.
“These guys are our heroes and deserve nothing but respect. Always.”