Formula 1 has long been a sport meant purely for the fans. With exciting competition, enigmatic driver personalities, and constant power struggles between the manufacturers. Unfortunately, these core fundamentals that fans adore so much about the sport have gotten diluted in recent years. We can’t seem to catch a break from dominance, whether it comes from the Mercedes camp or Red Bull Racing. But the Mexican fans have always been a passionate lot. Whether it’s their love for the Mexican national soccer team or the cheers for Checo Perez, they are a proud bunch!

However, their passion has taken a sinister turn. The Orange Army finds its commander under fire from the Mexican fans! It all began to unfold at the US Grand Prix last weekend, and the situation has since spiraled. As Max Verstappen heads into the Mexican GP, the Red Bull camp has decided to deploy some security measures for the Dutch Lion to keep him safe amidst a looming threat.

Red Bull to ‘play it safe’ as Verstappen sets sights on Mexican GP masterclass

The Dutch Lion is having the time of his life this season, having wrapped up the driver’s title because of Perez’s crash at the Qatar GP Sprint Race. However, he’s been under fire lately from the fans of his very own teammate! The Mexican minister of defense has been outclassed by Verstappen at every turn this season, literally. But this is not sitting well with the Mexican fans!

Signs of unrest began to spill over at the US GP when Verstappen was booed into oblivion, though he was least bothered. But the commotion was enough to rattle Helmut Marko and Christian Horner, who will do anything to protect their prodigy. Red Bull’s chief advisor, Marko, shared with F1Insider that the Milton Keynes outfit had appointed two bodyguards for Max Verstappen at the Mexican GP. He added, “Max doesn’t really want that and is relaxed. But we have responsibility for him. That’s why we just want to play it safe.” The Milton Keynes outfit will also expect Perez to address this unrest and help the team stay focused.

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While it may not be strange after last year’s incidents, owing to an open paddock where drivers are easily accessible. So clearly, not the safest place for Verstappen! The reason behind this outburst of anger toward Verstappen is not one, but many. Sergio Perez’s father has made it well-known in the media that Mexican fans are not fond of the Dutch lion, blaming him for Perez’s poor results.

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But wait, there’s a lot more! There have been numerous death threats and other horrid commenters left on Verstappen’s social media as of late, reminiscent of when the South American fans had turned against race winner Callum Illott in IndyCar after the Argentine driver Canapino crashed out.

Fans need to realize Verstappen is Perez’s closest ally

While the fans are going after the Dutchman for Perez’s ill-form. It is actually Verstappen who can be the messiah for the Mexican fans because the real threat is not from within. Here comes Lewis Hamilton! The Mexican finds himself being hunted by the seven-time world champion on the driver’s standings. While there is a margin of 39 points that Hamilton needs to cover, lady luck is favoring Perez. After the incident in Qatar, Hamilton was hoping to recover with a solid P2 finish at the US GP. In contrast, Sergio Perez was celebrating a mediocre P5 finish in the same race!

As luck would have it, the stars favored the Mexican once again as the Brit was disqualified post-race. If Hamilton had not received the FIA’s hammer at the US GP, he would have been trailing Perez by just 19 points! To make things worse for the Mexican, the Mercedes pace is on the rise with a new floor redesign. And Hamilton is squeezing every inch of performance out of the W14! Which is exactly why Mexican fans should rethink their hostility towards Verstappen!

Max Verstappen might be Perez’s only hope of keeping his vice-championship bragging rights. It will be crucial for the Mexican Minister of Defense to maximize his result, but that’s where the Dutch lion can be of great help! The more points that Verstappen scores, the lesser amount of points available for Lewis Hamilton!

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So in all honesty, the only person who can be of any help to Perez other than himself, is Verstappen. The fans should probably rethink their strategy for this one!