British Grand Prix chief executive Stuart Pringle says he has “no worries” over the treatment world champion Max Verstappen will receive from the Silverstone crowd this weekend.
Verstappen has faced boos and jeers from some racegoers in the last two years following his intense 2021 title battle with British driver Lewis Hamilton.
The Red Bull driver’s dominance of the sport since then has limited his involvement in significant on-track battles since, but his most notable clash since 2021 occurred during Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix as he collided with Lando Norris.
Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty for causing the collision with the British driver, who last year appealed to fans not to boo his Dutch rival.
Asked by Sky Sports News’ Craig Slater whether the Silverstone crowd remains one of the fairest on the F1 calendar, Pringle said: “I’m absolutely sure of that. Our fans are first and foremost fans of sport.
“Of course they have their favourite team, but they are spread across. There are a lot of Red Bull fans. Lando’s very popular, George [Russell] and Lewis are very popular.
“But actually what British F1 fans recognise is a great performance, and let’s be honest, when Max has won in the last two or three races pre Austria, the thing that’s made the difference has been his personal performance. That hasn’t been the quickest car, but when he’s had to do the business, he’s been spot on.
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Verstappen received a frosty reception from the Silverstone crowd when the Red Bull driver was introduced in 2022
“And people have recognised that in this country and across the sport, so I have no worries about that.”
While the collision left Norris unable to continue, Verstappen was able to make it to the end of the race in fifth place after a pit stop and extended his world championship lead to 81 points.
Will Silverstone sell out after ticket price debate?
The pricing of tickets for this year’s British Grand Prix recently came under scrutiny amid surprise that the event had not yet sold out.
Pringle previously suggested that a lack of competitiveness amid Verstappen’s dominance of the sport was a factor in slower ticket sales, and believes recent inroads made by McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari has helped spark greater interest.
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Watch new angles of Verstappen and Norris’ collision and aftermath which cost them both the lead at the Austrian Grand Prix
“I’m delighted to say that the performance by the Brits in the last few weeks has really made a huge difference,” he said. “There are still a few tickets left but it’s in the hundreds rather than thousands.
“It will be a sell-out by weekend, of that I’m completely certain. And that’s what competition and a bit of spice in the sport brings.
“We’ve got incredibly exciting racing in the last few races and people have really switched back onto it. It’s perfect timing.”
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Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to give his verdict on whether Verstappen or Norris was at fault for the crash which saw both of them surrender the chance of winning
Hamilton was among those to have warned that Silverstone must be careful not to price out motorsport fans, but Pringle says the structure is necessary for the viability of the event.
Four-day grandstand tickets still available for the weekend start at £629 and general admission for race day at £309, although cheaper tickets were available earlier in the year.
“Lewis is absolutely right. We do have to keep an eye on this. That is why, as a promoter, we are piling in the value into the weekend ticket,” Pringle said.
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McLaren driver Norris was left fuming after his collision with Red Bull’s Verstappen saw him have to retire from the Austrian GP
“I cannot control whether we’ll get a good race on track. What I can control is the quality of the music – Kings of Leon, Stormzy, Pete Tong, Rudimental all live, all included in ticket price.
“For many, many years, we’ve had buy early, get the best value. We made more lowest price tickets available for this year’s event than ever before.
“That’s absolutely the way we want to do it but we need people to commit early and come early, because we’ve got to plan this event, we’ve got to make the budget add up, and we’ve got to meet our commitments to Formula 1 and the championship.”
Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)
Thursday July 4
1.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
6pm: The F1 Show
Friday July 5
8.35am: F3 Practice
9.55am: F2 Practice
12pm: British GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
2.05pm: F3 Qualifying
3pm: F2 Qualifying
3.45pm: British GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
Saturday July 6
9.15am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook
F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime