Max Verstappen had a message for the Formula 1 boo boys after silencing them with an impressive victory at the Miami Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez was very much the favourite of the Miami crowd, given the large Hispanic community in the Floridian city. And the fans made it very clear where their loyalties lie as the drivers were introduced one by one on the grid ahead of the race.
The Mexican Red Bull star was greeted with a huge roar – one of the biggest of the day alongside Lewis Hamilton. There were also plenty of cheers when Verstappen walked out, though a smattering of boos was also clearly audible.
He had the last laugh, though, thanks to a perfectly-executed race strategy. He was ninth on the grid while Perez began on pole, but it was the Dutchman who looked after his tyres expertly to make sure he could pass his team-mate easily as the race drew to its conclusion.
Emboldened by that victory, Verstappen had a message for his haters as he spoke to reporters. "If I am driving at the back, nobody will be doing anything in terms of a reaction," he said, as he made clear his belief that he is only disliked by some because of how good he is.
Verstappen added: "It is normal when you are winning and they don't like who is winning. This is something which is absolutely fine for me as long as I stand on the top step of the podium.
"That is the most important thing. I take the trophy home and they can go back to their houses and have a nice evening." Meanwhile, the double champion was also among those who were critical of that pre-race driver show in the first place.
"I did have enough preparation before, to speak to my engineers and stuff for the race," said Verstappen. "But personally I think this is just a bit of a personality thing. Some people like to be more in the spotlight, some people don't. I personally don't."
Fernando Alonso and George Russell were also among those who panned the move, with the Brit describing it as "distracting". But Hamilton was in favour of the pageantry and declared: "I think it's cool that the sport's continuously growing and evolving and they're not just doing the same stuff that they've done in the past."
