It is not the first time an incident like this has happened
FORMULA ONE team Racing Bulls have apologised after a member of staff was allegedly seen “encouraging boos” towards Lando Norris.
The incident occurred during the podium celebrations following last Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The incident occurred as Lando Norris lifted the trophy for winning the Brazilian Grand PrixCredit: Getty
A team member of Racing Bulls was seen making a gesture allegedly encouraging the boosCredit: TIKTOK @sabrinasatloir
McLaren ace Norris extended his lead at the top of the World Drivers’ Championship to 24 points over team-mate Oscar Piastri as he put in a dominant performance in Brazil by topping every session.
He was joined on the podium by Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli – who enjoyed his best-ever Grand Prix finish to date – and four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
As he was presented with the trophy for his victory, boos were heard coming from the Interlagos crowd.
However, a video taken of the celebrations appeared to show a staff member from rival F1 team Racing Bulls making a gesture towards the crowd.
The team member stood in front of the podium was seen waving their arm in a thumbs down gesture towards the crowd before they were stopped by a colleague.
A video of the incident reposted from TikTok – which itself has almost 10,000 views – has been viewed more than one million times on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It claimed: “Lando getting booed is already bad enough, but seeing a staff member from another team join in and do a thumbs down? That’s just unprofessional.”
Following the incident, Racing Bulls issued a statement of their own on social media.
They said: “We’re aware of the video from the weekend’s podium.
“It doesn’t reflect our team’s values or the spirit of VCARB.
“The matter has been handled internally.
“We believe in celebrating great racing and showing respect to every driver, team, and fan both on and off the track.”
It is not the first time Norris has been booed by fans after winning a race.
The Briton, 25, was booed during the podium ceremony when he won the Mexico Grand Prix in October.
Racing Bulls enjoyed a strong performance in Brazil with both drivers scoring points.
Liam Lawson raced home to finish seventh in the feature race after incurring a penalty for a collision with Ollie Bearman in Saturday’s sprint race.
Team-mate Isack Hadjar came eighth in the final results.
The ten points they collected between them over the weekend saw them move up to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of Aston Martin.
Aston scored three points over the weekend through Fernando Alonso‘s sixth placed finish in the sprint.
F1 will return in two weeks’ time with the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which leads into the season-ending triple header including Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The staff member was stopped by a colleagueCredit: TIKTOK @sabrinasatloir
