The Martin Brundle vs Cara Delevingne incident was not the only portrayal of F1 fandom's horrible side during the British GP

The F1 British GP has a habit of invoking emotions in a way that not many races do every season. Every year, whether it is an exciting season or a damp squib, there's always a talking point coming out of the race in Silverstone.

This time around, once again, it was no different. Max Verstappen's record-breaking run set aside, it was Martin Brundle getting snubbed by Cara Delevingne and then passing a snide comment which made the headlines.

While the incident has taken a life of its own, as Cara Delevingne just had the first-hand experience of offending the F1 fanbase, this was not the only incident during the British GP weekend where the fanbase ran its reputation through the mud.

The F1 grid walk and Martin Brundle's tryst with celebrities

The F1 grid walk was a novel concept that started a few decades back. We've had Martin Brundle go to the starting grid minutes before the race and shove a microphone in the face of anyone that would oblige for a soundbite (sometimes they won't). Brundle is an affable character because of the way he's conducted himself in all these years.

Someone who's made sure to stand up for Sebastian Vettel when he was unfairly booed in 2013 or as recently as for Max Verstappen this weekend once again for the unwarranted hate that he got.

That is precisely why the influx of celebrities on the F1 grid before the start of the race and Brundle's somewhat strange interactions with them over the years have seen the fans rally for him.

In all fairness, F1 teams and the FOM, in general, bring these big names to the grid for marketing purposes. While these celebrities aren't obliged to know much about the sport, they're expected to be respectful of Brundle pitching them a question.

Names like Megan Thee Stallion and Venus Williams come to mind as some of the big names that could not care less about even acknowledging Brundle's presence in the last few years.

In all fairness, the outrage was somewhat deserved because there was an element of a lack of disrespect there. The incident with Cara Delevingne does not fall in that bracket, as she was clearly told not to speak with Brundle.

To add to this, she politely declined, and if there was an element of disrespect, it came from Brundle, who made a somewhat snide remark because he was declined a soundbite.

It was unfortunate and almost silly to see the F1 websites glorifying Martin for what was almost an entitled attempt at a soundbite. What we've seen since then is fans attack Delevingne, who has faced a lot of backlash for an interaction where she was not even disrespectful to Brundle.

This was just another incident where the F1 fans threw objectivity by the wayside and went ahead with attacking Delevingne. Should she know more about the sporting event she's been invited to? Yes, she should. But that's not a prerequisite to attending the event you're invited to.

The one line that kickstarted an online hate campaign against Karun Chandhok

The vile nature of online hate was back once again during the 2023 F1 British GP, and who would have thought its epicenter would be Karun Chandhok stating the obvious?

During one of the Free Practice sessions on Friday, talking about George Russell, Chandhok said that the Mercedes driver had beaten Lewis Hamilton as a teammate fair and square in 2022.

Yes, it was this statement from the Sky F1 commentator that sent an entire faction of the fan group into a tizzy. The former Indian racer was abused by a plethora of Lewis Hamilton fan accounts.

Two posts that gained the most traction had one of the users put together a racially motivated post against Chandhok (we won't share the post here because of its vile nature) and a second one that mocked the Indian driver's F1 career.

Even Karun Chandhok replied to the thread when he was tagged by Indian celebrity Nikhil Chinapa.

Even in a season where Lewis Hamilton is not even in contention for the title, the kind of hate for a commentator for pretty much stating the facts is so disappointing. What's been worse is the lack of acknowledgment from Sky Sports about their employee being harassed in such a manner.

If a factually correct statement in a season where Hamilton is not even a factor in the title battle can rile up a fanbase, one can only imagine what's going to happen if Mercedes is competitive next season.

Max Verstappen and the return of the boos

The 2022 F1 season saw Max Verstappen get vociferously booed by the British crowd in Silverstone. What followed was the same treatment being meted out to Lewis Hamilton in Austria and then in Zandvoort. This season we had no such issue once again in Austria. There were no boos or anything for Hamilton at any moment.

Fast forward to Silverstone, and once again, we're back to square one. The hate towards Max Verstappen from the British contingent was more than obvious, and we can only wait and watch Lewis being dished out the same stuff in Zandvoort.

While Verstappen continues to discard the hate that he continues to get, it's just unfortunate that one of the best rivalries in F1 from 2021 has given rise to such a toxic fanbase.

Conclusion

While Cara Delevingne and her big name meant that she soaked up all the attention. The 2023 F1 British GP race weekend should prove to be a warning sign for the managing body and the promoters.

We've already seen online hate get out of control in 2021 and 2022. While the 2023 season has seen things become a bit mellowed, the reason behind it is not a change in fan attitude. It's the lack of competition as Red Bull continues to rout the opposition.

If we're back to having a competitive battle at the front of the grid, we will be back to the same toxic environment on social media. For F1 as a sport, that would be a poor look after all the steps and campaigns that have been run under this name.