After boos from the Mexican fanbase, Max Verstappen to be accompanied by bodyguards at Sergio Perez's home race
Max Verstappen will be accompanied by bodyguards at the 2023 F1 Mexican GP. Though F1 drivers usually have some sort of security during race weekends, the reigning world champion will have extra bodies around him during the race in Mexico City. This is partially after several fans decided to inflict hate on the Dutchman.
Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko confirmed to F1 Insider that the team is only placing bodyguards around Max Verstappen to be cautious of any incident that could happen when he is in Mexico. He said:
"Max doesn't really want that, and is relaxed. But we have responsibility for him. Therefore, we only want to be on the safe side."
Of course, one of the main reasons why Verstappen is being surrounded by protection is because the upcoming race is Sergio Perez's home race. Since Checo is being dominated by Verstappen in Red Bull, the latter might not be the most liked driver in Mexico. Furthermore, he is generally one of the least favorite because of his dominance in F1 in general.
It is also rumored that Max Verstappen was already receiving threats against him on social media, even before the booing in Austin.
Max Verstappen feels Circuit of the Americas track is not smooth enough for F1
Max Verstappen recently criticized the bumpiness of the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The Dutchman lashed out that it is more suited for a rally car than an F1 car. Speaking in the post-race press conference, the Red Bull star said:
"Yeah, it needs to be redone because at the moment it feels like it's better suited to a rally car. Like I'm jumping and bouncing around. In an F1 car probably you don't even see it as much because of course we are glued to the ground because of the downforce but the bumps and jumps that we have in some places, this is way too much. I don't think it's F1 level."
He further clarified that he loves the track but urges the track management to lay down new tarmac to make it smoother.
"I love this track. Honestly, the layout is amazing but we definitely need new tarmac and it needs to be a lot smoother for the coming years because we already asking for this for I think quite a few years, and it's not really been done."
Max Verstappen recently won the 2023 F1 US GP around the circuit, which is his 50th F1 race win in his career.