"I don’t understand why he’s still seen as the villain": Pundit questions boos against Max Verstappen at multiple tracks this season

F1 pundit Martin Brundle didn't understand the reason behind Max Verstappen getting booed at multiple tracks this season. He also wondered why the fans continue to portray him as a villain.

The Red Bull driver had arguably the greatest and most dominant individual season an F1 driver could hope for in the sport. He won 19 out of the 22 races, led over 1000 laps, and amassed 575 points during the entire season. However, he found himself facing some hate from the fans at tracks like Monza, Budapest, and Mexico.

In his column for Sky Sports, Martin Brundle claimed that he didn't get the reason behind fans continuing to portray Max Verstappen as the villain despite his achievements this season. He said:

"Of course, he was feisty and a little wild as a teenager when first racing in F1, but he sorted that out and is mostly a model of calm out on track now, and as far as anybody else when it comes to hard racing. I don't understand why he's still seen as the villain, but the fans will make up their own minds.

"Max didn't get everything right, for example when the drivers walked out to the grid for the traditional end-of-season group photograph there were some boos as he emerged, as we've heard at some other tracks too."

Max Verstappen analyzes the 2023 season after another dominant win in Abu Dhabi

Max Verstappen stated that 2023 had been an "unbelievable" season for him and the Red Bull F1 team, as together they produced the most dominant year in the sport's history.

As per F1.com, the Dutch driver said:

"It's been an unforgettable season. It was emotional on the in-lap driving the RB19 for the last time, this car and Team have given me so much. I have to say a big thank you to everyone at Red Bull, we've had an incredible year. It will be hard to replicate a year like this but we always want to do better and to improve so let's see what we can do next year.

"In the meantime, I think the whole Team and everyone in the paddock needs a rest and to spend some time with friends and family. It's been a simply lovely year."

The Austrian team won every race but one, in Singapore, and completely blew their competition away. It will be fascinating to see if Max Verstappen and Red Bull can repeat the feat again in 2024.