Helmut Marko makes a unique observation on Max Verstappen and Christian Horner being booed at F1-75 ceremony

Red Bull's Helmut Marko feels Max Verstappen was not the target of the boos at the F1-75 ceremony, and it was entirely targeted at Christian Horner. The season officially kicked off with the car launch event in London earlier in the year. The event saw all of the teams reveal their cars to the crowd in a seven-minute segment in front of the audience.

For Red Bull, however, that segment did not go as planned because as soon as Christian Horner stepped on stage, he was booed. Admittedly ruffled by the reception, Horner composed himself and continued to speak, only to see the boos increase when he introduced Max Verstappen to the stage.

Talking to AMuS, Helmut Marko shared an interesting observation where he claimed that the boos were not directed at Max Verstappen at all. In fact, according to the Austrian, the boos were directed at Christian Horner.

"The show was in England, and the fans were naturally focused on Hamilton. I don't think Max was the target at all. The main target was Horner, and that was somewhat surprising," Marko said (Translated from German).

Horner had also addressed the boos at the ceremony and pointed out how Max Verstappen being disrespected was a bit disappointing.

"I guess the only disappointment I had with it was that the reception to Max as a four-time world champion was disappointing. Passion in sport is always going to be there, if the launches have been in Holland, no doubt the reception would have been somewhat different."

Marko's observation comes off as a surprise as many in the F1 fraternity felt both Max Verstappen and Christian Horner were the target, and not just the Red Bull driver.

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Helmut Marko on Max Verstappen's new teammate: "Liam Lawson is expected to do his own thing"

Max Verstappen will have a new teammate in Liam Lawson this season as the Kiwi replaces Sergio Perez at Red Bull. The seat can be a poisoned chalice in many ways, but according to Helmut Marko, the young driver is capable of remaining mentally stable amid adversities.

"Lawson approaches this task knowing that everyone has fallen against Max so far, and the more he tried to be smarter and force things with completely different setups or strategies, the faster he did. Lawson knows that he got the seat because he's incredibly mentally stable and down-to-earth. He's expected to score points regularly, not to look at Max, but to do his own thing. And that fulfills his role for now. I think he's smart enough to understand that."

The partnership between Verstappen and Lawson is going to be one of the storylines of the season. and Red Bull would need a strong run from the Kiwi as it tries to fight for the title.