The premier class of motorsport traveled to Imola for the European start of the 2024 Formula 1 season. As always there at a race in Italy: The Tifosi. As at the other home game in Monza, the Ferrari fans, known for their passionate support, took over the fan stands in Imola and colored them in the typical Ferrari red.
Max Verstappen also felt his passion for Formula 1 and Ferrari in particular in qualifying. The world champion, who Ferrari has been tearing his teeth at for years, secured a somewhat unexpected pole position after great difficulties in training. Ferrari, on the other hand, did not live up to its role as favorite and qualified in fourth and fifth place. Verstappen felt the disappointment of a certain Ferrari fan in the pit lane, as the Red Bull driver described after qualifying.
Max Verstappen converts Ferrari fan: first middle finger, then applause
“When I drove into the pits, many people clapped for me. But a fan made a few other gestures in my direction, so I gave him the middle finger,” Verstappen explained dryly at the press conference.
Just one lap later, the Tifosi had probably learned from the long-distance interaction with the reigning world champion and paid him his respect. “The next time I came by, he was clapping. You’re learning,” said Verstappen with a smile on his face and made it clear that he wouldn’t shy away from arguments off the track. “It’s easy not to be nice to drivers, but I can’t be nice to you either. Luckily he was a little higher up.”
However, the interaction with the Ferrari fan was quickly over for Verstappen. “It’s all good. He probably appreciated it after that,” he explained. “But the fans here are generally very passionate. They love motorsport,” Verstappen had only words of praise for the Italian motorsport fans despite the incident.
Fan also known to McLaren drivers: thumbs down for Piastri, joy for Norris
But Max Verstappen wasn’t the only one who noticed the fan in the pit lane. Also the two McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri reported on their experiences with the same spectator. “I think I saw the same guy. He didn’t give me the middle finger, but he gave me a thumbs down,” said Piastri, who set the second fastest time in Imola qualifying.
Piastri wasn’t bothered by the fan interaction either. “I think in all sports it’s always fun to annoy your opponent and that’s part of the sport too. Of course there’s always a limit, but that’s what sport can be about. If you look at all the football rivalries and “When you look at things like that, there’s always so much passion on both sides,” Piastri explained.
However, the fan seemed to be more happy for Lando Norris, who won his first Formula 1 race two weeks ago, than for his teammate. “I saw him too, but I think he was on my side,” Norris spoke. “To be honest, the Italian fans have always been very friendly to me and have been very supportive.”
Norris explains the support from his early days in racing. “There are a lot of fans who have always supported me since karting. When you’re so young, most of the races are in Italy, so we spend a lot of time there. But they’ve always supported me a lot. So I thank the fan, who was up there.”
Even though things were relaxed between the top three drivers at the press conference after qualifying, the race on Sunday is likely to be a tough one again. You can find out when the race takes place in our schedule for the entire weekend.