Sky Sports F1 stars hate fans booing Lando Norris - here's why they are WRONG

Sky Sports F1 pundits were united against the booing that Lando Norris received at the Mexican Grand Prix…but such partisan behaviour from F1 fans has always been around. Why are we only now seeing such sanctimonious discourse?

Speaking after the Mexican GP, Sky Sports stars, including Jamie Chadwick, David Croft and Karun Chandhok, all condemned the booing Norris received after he won Sunday’s race.

READ MORE: Why is Lando Norris the most hated man in F1?

While Norris himself smiled through the jeers - because at the end of the day he’s a multi-millionaire leading the F1 championship, why should he care what people think - the British media loyally defended the driver and looked down on those who had jeered at him.

One writer suggested the boos were surprising and out of touch - an ironic statement when you factor in the McLaren favouritism claims doing the rounds on social media.

Should booing be part of F1?

The Brits have long been accused of favouring drivers who hail from this sceptred isle, whether it was accusations against Sky’s coverage of Max Verstappen after the 2021 title fight against Hamilton, or more recently, McLaren allegedly favouring Norris over Oscar Piastri.

While we’re certainly not accusing any of the British media for possessing an unfair bias in favour of Norris, patriotic pride has however blinkered the vision of some as to why the crowd booed Norris in the first place.

When you look across the other side of the McLaren garage, and how Piastri was forced to give second place to Norris during the Italian GP, you can understand why some fans would be aggrieved by the decision.

Fans could argue they were cheated of an on-track battle in favour of internal team politics, a way no one likes to see a race or championship play out.

It shouldn’t be surprising that, if the crowd in Mexico did feel strongly about McLaren’s team orders, Norris elicited such a strong response.

Horner and Verstappen booed in London

Furthermore, booing isn’t a rare occurrence in Formula 1. Just this year at the F1 75 live event Christian Horner and Verstappen were booed on stage during the launch of the RB21.

Since the infamous 2021 title showdown, Verstappen has been booed at Silverstone and likewise Hamilton has been unpopular with the Dutchman’s fans.

Norris himself provided the perfect response to the boos and did not take them seriously himself, saying everyone has the right to express how they feel.

The Brit explained to the media after the Mexican GP: "They have the right to do it if they want to do it. I think that's sport sometimes.

"I don't know why I can't stop laughing when I get booed. I think it makes it more entertaining for me. So yeah, they can keep doing it if they want.

"Of course, you don't want it. I prefer to have people cheer for me. It was the same in Monza and a few other places.

"I don't know why, I just can't stop laughing, so if they want to continue they can."

F1 is a pantomime and Norris was Mexico's villain

Of course there is the argument that if this booing is not condemned then it could spiral into much more unpleasant abuse both online and in real life.

Neither can public facing figures like Chadwick and Croft stay silent and ignore these boos, and they have a duty to neutralise any strong emotions that are stirred up by the negativity from some fans.

But to be so surprised by it? When F1 fans have never been more divided online. When personalities and rivalries are heightened to the point of melodrama by Drive to Survive? Can we really be shocked when what unfolds at a racetrack is the very definition of theatre?

F1 has been a pantomime for a number of years now, only this time Lando Norris was the villain in Mexico. Norris is over it. It's time we got over it too. Not everyone has to like the same driver.

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