Max Verstappen has threatened to boycott events such as the Formula 1 season launch if they are held in the UK.

That’s the sensational claim from Red Bull driver Jos Verstappen’s father after the reigning world champion was booed at London’s O2 Arena.

Max Verstappen will “definitely” boycott F1 launch rerun in London

Formula 1 held its inaugural collective season launch event in London earlier this week, with all 20 drivers in attendance as teams revealed their new liveries for the 2025 F1 season.

Boos were heard when Verstappen appeared on screen at the event, with the Dutchman and team-mate Liam Lawson the only drivers not to address the audience as they took to the stage – a decision Red Bull made early on in the event planning process in an attempt to avoid vapid, clichéd comments with no substance after a long day of extended media engagements.

Christian Horner, who took to the stage to the tune of Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones, the team’s garage victory song, as a tribute to the team’s late founder Dietrich Mateschitz, was also received negatively by the audience.

But Horner was unfazed by the boos, acknowledging the reception with a “Well, it’s fantastic to be here at the O2 anyway!”

An idea floated early in the planning phase to celebrate Verstappen’s fourth consecutive World Championship with a pyrotechnics and light show also failed to materialise, with Red Bull’s launch video focusing on car culture via a video before the RB21’s livery was revealed.

Verstappen is understood to have been unhappy with the mixed reception he received from the predominantly British public and as a result has signalled his intention not to appear at any similar events in the UK in the future.

This stance is understood to have been acknowledged internally within Red Bull, who are also understood to be unhappy with how the event played out as they were under the impression of having a mixed demographic audience, rather than a predominantly British one coming off the defeats in recent years of local heroes Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, an audience who were never going to greet Verstappen with enthusiasm.

Verstappen’s father Jos has urged British fans to “take a look” at their behaviour after subjecting the four-time world champion to “a ruckus” on Tuesday night, and said the four-time F1 world champion has told him he will “definitely” not return to a similar event in the UK in the near future.

He told Dutch publication RaceXpress: “Max doesn’t feel like that, being booed like that in front of 25,000 people [sic].

“He also says: ‘If this is in England next year, you definitely won’t see me.’

“I couldn’t agree with him more. You’re there to promote the sport and show off the new colour schemes of the cars, but when they get unleashed like that, the question is: what are you there to do?”

“You have to prepare to go there anyway, but then you get booed like that.

“I think they should take a closer look at this because it doesn’t belong in this sport.”

Verstappen senior’s comments come after he came to the defence of his son and team boss Horner, with whom he was involved in a well-documented dispute last year.

He said: “In itself I thought [the event] was a reasonable preparation, I just thought it was embarrassing what happened there with Red Bull Racing.

“That Christian Horner was booed like that and Max was booed too.

“You do it for Formula 1, you are there to promote the sport and then the public boos you.

“I don’t think that’s acceptable.

“I understand it because Max is the only one who encourages those English people and tells them exactly where things are.

“But I don’t think this is acceptable. It’s really disappointing what happened there.”

The FIA ​​was also booed by the crowd at the O2 Arena, although sources have indicated that this is all part of its role in enforcing and regulating F1’s rules – the governing body’s biggest concern has been to address the area of ​​disrespect to competitors within Formula 1.

The FIA ​​is taking the issue of online abuse particularly seriously, having recently launched a Unite Against Online Abuse initiative, and tribalistic behaviour such as that on display at the O2 undermines efforts to tackle this area.

An FIA statement to PlanetF1.com said: “The great rivalries throughout motorsport’s history have contributed to making it such an exciting experience for fans.

“But what underpins the sport at all levels is a culture of respect. As such, it was disappointing to hear the tribalistic reaction of the crowd to FIA Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen and his Team Principal and Red Bull CEO Christian Horner at the F1 launch in London.

“Max and Christian have made a huge contribution to the sport we love. We must not lose sight of this aspect in the upcoming season.

“As part of the FIA’s commitment to protecting the integrity of sport, we are leading a coalition fighting online abuse in sport under the banner of our Unite Against Online Abuse campaign.

“We stand with all our competitors, officials, volunteers and fans to unite against this growing threat.

“We urge the sports community to consider the impact of their actions both online and offline.”

It is understood the issue will be on the agenda for discussion at a World Motor Sport Council meeting on Wednesday.