Max Verstappen asks Mexican fans to “show respect for the others” at the Mexican Grand Prix, as Red Bull deploys bodyguards

As he got ready for Red Bull teammate Sergio “Checo” Perez’s home Grand Prix on Thursday, Max Verstappen made a plea for the next generation of Formula One fans to behave more politely.

At the most recent race in Texas, spectators screamed “Checo!” and jeered Verstappen.

His teammate has lagged behind Verstappen, who has risen to a third consecutive crown. As he is ready to compete in front of his home supporters, the Mexican driver’s career with Red Bull seems in jeopardy due to a recent run of poor performance.

After raising worries about their safety, Red Bull said on Thursday that Verstappen, team manager Christian Horner, and racing adviser Helmut Marko would have bodyguards.

It is anticipated that Perez’s entourage would include a security guard as well.

However, Verstappen expressed his desire for things to continue as they have been treated warmly since coming in Mexico.

He expressed his wish that it will extend beyond our sport and to other sports in general. “In the past few years, we have acquired a large number of new fans, and it’s possible that they react and respond somewhat differently from us.”

Tensions between the two Red Bull drivers have been made public by the Netflix series “Drive To Survive,” which has increased awareness of the sport in North America.

Supporting your favorite driver is admirable, but you should always be considerate of other drivers, particularly while they’re on the podium or during the anthems, since it is really impolite to do otherwise.

“In general, I believe that awareness-building is necessary in other sports as well as here.”

The 26-year-old Dutchman stated he had arrived on Tuesday afternoon and had a full day of appearance work on Wednesday when speaking with Sky Sports F1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

It’s been fantastic, he said. “I’m here to do my job, and as always, I’ve received an amazing welcome.”

Parts of the large audience at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, last Sunday jeered and booed as Verstappen was brought on stage and while the Dutch national song was playing, and there were shouts of “Checo, Checo” throughout.

In addition, Perez downplayed his alleged rivalry with Verstappen and urged his Mexican supporters to lead by example.

“It’s critical that we deliver this message—the correct message,” he said. “I am aware that the media enjoys fostering competition, but we play a fantastic sport here, and we owe it to future generations to set an example.

“What occurs on the track should remain on the track so that the rest of the world can look to us as an example.”

Many of the streets around the track have posters that read “Racespect,” urging race fans to be courteous—a message Perez claimed to promote.

Local organizers also announced that, in response to disturbing accounts from the previous year, when drivers and team members were hounded and jostled, they would be tightly limiting the number of visitors in the paddock throughout the weekend.