The booing of Max Verstappen and Red Bull boss Christian Horner at the F175 season launch event at the O2 is likely to be raised at next week’s virtual meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
Verstappen was booed when introduced at the start of the evening by host Jack Whitehall.
Horner received a similar response when he took to the stage later on to introduce Red Bull Racing’s launch segment.
Verstappen and his team mate Liam Lawson appeared on stage, but they were the only drivers not to actually speak, possibly preventing a repeat of a negative reaction for the Dutchman.
The showing of an FIA logo during a reference to the volunteers who keep the sport going was also booed.
The negative crowd reaction comes at time when the FIA is keen to address online abuse.
“Great rivalries throughout the history of motorsport have contributed to making it such an exciting experience for fans,” said an FIA spokesperson.
“But what underpins sport at all levels is a culture of respect. As such, it was disappointing to hear the crowd’s tribalist reaction to FIA F1 World Champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner, at the F1 launch in London.
“Max and Christian have both contributed greatly to the sport we love. In the season ahead we should not lose sight of that.
“As part of the FIA’s commitment to protect the integrity of the sport, we are leading a coalition tackling online abuse in sport under the banner of our United Against Online Abuse campaign.
“We stand with all of our competitors, officials, volunteers, and fans to unite against this growing threat. We urge the sporting community to consider the impact of their actions both online and offline.”
Adam Cooper F1 