F1’s Chocolate Boy Turned Villain, Charles Leclerc Showered With Boos; Forced to Explain Himself: “Guys, I Had Nowhere to Go!”

The biggest news to come out of the Mexican GP wasn’t Max Verstappen winning a 16th race in 2023. Another race, another record Verstappen broke. With the way 2023 has played out, that’s become such a normal thing, which is why it was no big deal. While he may have bettered his 2022 record of winning 15 races in a season, it was his teammate Sergio Perez who grabbed the headlines. It wasn’t because of Perez’s home heroics, though. It was because of Formula 1’s chocolate boy, Charles Leclerc.

A driver’s home race is one they look forward to more than any other. Nothing can beat the home support they get. So when the Mexican crowd came out to support Sergio Perez, only for his race to end as soon as it started, his fans weren’t pleased. And Leclerc had to bear the brunt of their wrath, as he became the villain-like figure for the Mexican home hero.

Charles Leclerc became the Mexican crowd’s enemy

Saturday wasn’t the best for Sergio Perez. It hasn’t been for quite some time because Verstappen usually outperforms him by a huge margin. So when he finally qualified within a tenth of the Dutchman in Mexico, it should’ve pointed to good signs. Unfortunately for Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, in an AlphaTauri, outqualified him with a P4. With Perez starting in P5, Verstappen in P4, and Leclerc in P1, it was all to play for going into Turn 1.

Considering how powerful the slipstream effect in Mexico is on the start-finish straight, both Red Bulls got a great start. Going into Turn 1, it was three abreast—Perez on the outside, Verstappen on the inside, and Leclerc in the middle. Sniffing a chance to take the race lead, Perez got a little too optimistic and turned into Leclerc. Making contact with the Monegasque’s front wing, Perez’s car went airborne and out of the race really quickly. The Mexican was out of his home race as soon as it started.

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Needless to say, Mexican fans weren’t happy. When Leclerc eventually finish in P3 and came to give his post-race interview, all he could hear were boos. He said, “A lot of booing, a lot of booing. Guys I had nowhere to go! I was a bit in between the two Red Bulls, and unfortunately, I touched Checo. But I had nowhere to go.” He seemed genuinely upset that Perez couldn’t finish his home race because of an incident with him. If there’s anyone who could sympathize with the Mexican concerning home race blues, it’s Leclerc.

Max Verstappen Makes Jittery Confession as Charles Leclerc Snatches Early Advantage at Mexican GP

This wasn’t the first time Mexican fans resorted to booing this season. The most recent installment before the Mexican GP happened just a week ago.

Max Verstappen was on the receiving end of booing in Austin

When Perez joined Red Bull in 2021, Mexican fans were over the moon. It was a race-winning team and would give their home hero a chance to fight for wins and podiums. What more could they have asked for? While the 2021 season was quite mellow in terms of the relationship between Perez and Verstappen, Mexican fans didn’t take too well to Verstappen’s actions in 2022. Especially during the Brazilian GP where the Dutchman refused to listen to team orders to help Perez secure P2 in the championship.

That incident, coupled with the fact that Verstappen has been consistently outperforming Perez this season, hasn’t made Verstappen a Mexican favorite. At the US GP—where Mexican fans turn out in huge numbers—Verstappen won the race. But when he went onto the podium, all he heard were boos from the crowd. Helmut Marko believes those were Mexican supporters, saying, “We are in contact with a lot of Mexicans. The majority are very friendly and fair, but there are always some enthusiastic people who don’t maintain fair sporting standards.”

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Do you think Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen deserved the booing from Mexican fans?