Verstappen and Red Bull targeted as shocking Abu Dhabi abuse revealed

Sam Hall
Wednesday 23 November 2022 12:34

Max Verstappen and Red Bull were the primary targets of online abuse during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.

A study completed by The Female Drive and Areto Labs has revealed the scale of F1's problem with trolling, with over a million comments tracked across recent events.

Specifically, with regard to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 295,000 comments were reviewed with 25,000 deemed as toxic and 2,100 as severely toxic.

Following the events of the Brazilian GP, feelings were particularly high surrounding Red Bull and Verstappen, and this was highlighted in the interactions with both parties.

Comments directed at the two-time champion were 20 percent abusive, with nine percent categorised as high risk, whilst Red Bull's tally saw abusive comments make up 14 percent of its feedback, with four percent high risk.

Even media personalities were not exempt from abuse, with Will Buxton facing similar percentage levels to Verstappen.

Despite efforts from F1 and the FIA to get to grips with this issue, it is clear there remains a long way to go.

You can find the shared results of the study below. Please be mindful, if you choose to scroll, there are extreme examples of abuse that feature later in the post.

WARNING: Social media interactions highlighted in the post feature strong language and triggering content.

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