It wasn’t just the racing that got F1 fans talking after the Brazilian Grand Prix, but what happened after the checkered flag, as a surprising video surfaced online showing a member of the Racing Bulls Formula 1 team seemingly encouraging fans to boo race winner Lando Norris during the podium celebrations.
Within hours, the clip was circulated across social media, sparking outrage among fans after Racing Bulls released an official statement on the matter.
Racing Bulls Reacts to Viral Video
In the short clip, a Racing Bulls crew member could be seen filming the podium celebrations. As soon as the boos grew louder, he turned his camera towards the crowd and seemingly encouraged the reaction by making a thumbs-down gesture. A colleague of his quickly stopped him, but by then, the video was already being shared everywhere.
Racing Bulls wasted little time in addressing the situation as the team released a statement saying, “We’re aware of the video from the weekend’s podium. It doesn’t reflect our team’s values or the spirit of VCARB. The matter has been handled internally. We believe in celebrating great racing and showing respect to every driver, team, and fan both on and off the track.”
The team’s swift response came as it enjoyed one of its best race weekends in a while, with both Liam Lawson and rookie Isack Hadjar finishing inside the top 10. Still, the podium incident slightly overshadowed a positive Sunday for the Red Bull sister outfit.
Lando Norris Shrugs Off The Boos
However, for Norris, the noise is nothing new, as the 26-year-old McLaren driver has quickly become one of the most talked-about names in Formula 1 this season. But fame often comes with criticism. He was also booed at the previous Grand Prix in Mexico, where he responded with a simple laugh and kept his focus on racing.
“People can do what they want, honestly,” Norris said after the Mexico GP. “They have the right to do it if they want to do it. I think that’s the sport sometimes. I don’t know why I can’t stop laughing when I get booed. I think it makes it more entertaining for me. So yeah, they can keep doing it if they want.”
Norris added, “Of course, you don’t want it. I prefer to have people cheer for me. It was the same in Monza and a few other places. I don’t know why, I just can’t stop laughing, so if they want to continue they can.”
Despite the crowd’s reaction, Norris has been in impressive form recently, picking up back-to-back wins and climbing above teammate Oscar Piastri in the standings.
F1 Fans Split Over Racing Bulls’ Decision
Not everyone agreed with how Racing Bulls handled the situation, as some fans felt the team had overreacted and that the sport had grown soft, losing its former passion.
One fan wrote on social media, “That lad was just having a laugh in the heat of the moment. We want to see passion in the sport,” while another said, “A team apologising for someone giving a thumbs down to an opponent… What has happened to my beautiful beautiful sport?”
Another fan wrote about this statement being detrimental for their future hires, “Don’t think this is going to do wonders for recruiting staff in the future. Yea my employer throws me under the bus in the public eye.”
Meanwhile, one went on a rant about Norris’ fans, “I actually despise lando norris fans first they called for a mechanic from their own team to get fired and now they got another random guy in trouble cause he potentially booed their favourite millionaire driver who couldn’t give a f**k less about booing. what a horrid lot you are.”
Despite the off-track drama, it was still a strong weekend for Racing Bulls as the Faenza-based team now sits sixth in the Constructors’ standings by just being 10 points clear of Aston Martin.
