Wolff: Boos against Hamilton ‘consequence’ of Silverstone fallout
Toto Wolff believes the boos directed at Lewis Hamilton after Formula 1 qualifying in Hungary were a “consequence” of the fallout from his Silverstone crash with Max Verstappen.

Hamilton took his 101st F1 pole in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, heading up a front row lockout for Mercedes.
But Hamilton was met with loud boos upon getting out of his car after qualifying and during his post-session interview in parc ferme, which appearing to come from a large contingent of Verstappen fans sat in the grandstand opposite the pits.
Hamilton brushed off the boos, saying the reaction “just fuels me”, but both Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas moved to condemn the response after qualifying.
Asked by Motorsport.com about the booing, Mercedes F1 chief Wolff said that it “has no place in the sport”, but accepted that “emotions have been very high in the last two weeks”.
“The grandstands are packed with Dutch fans,” Wolff said. “So yeah, nobody likes that [booing], and people that have done sports competitively will never understand why that is.
“But you hear that in football stadiums and you hear that on the grandstands. It was an orange grandstand.”
The F1 fanbase has been polarised since the clash between Hamilton and Verstappen on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix.
The saga rumbled on until this weekend’s race in Hungary after Red Bull requested a right to review the incident, only for the FIA to throw the case out on Thursday.
Wolff said on Friday that he hoped to “de-escalate” matters after previously saying that Red Bull had become “personal’ in its attacks against Mercedes and Hamilton.
While Wolff welcomed the passion that fans were showing in Hungary, he called booing “archaic”, and felt it was a result of what had happened since the Silverstone clash.
“It shows how passionate the fans are,” Wolff said. “Tribal instinct isn’t necessarily something bad, I very much that that instinct for the team too.
“If it were tribal, if they were passionate, if they were applauding and screaming for the drivers, that would be great. I think the booing has no place in sports.
“I think it’s a consequence of the events of the last few weeks. The incident was controversial, it was polarising.
“We see the consequences in terms of the emotional expressions of the grandstands, the emotional outbursts.”
Read Also:

Grand Prix qualifying results: Hamilton takes Hungary F1 pole
Steiner fed up with "too frequent and too heavy" Haas F1 crashes

Latest news
Live: Watch the first round of WSK Champions Cup
Grand opening of the WSK season for the first round of the WSK Champions Cup from 25 to 29 January at South Garda Karting.
Rolex 24, Hour 12: MSR Acura leads AXR Cadillac at half-distance
Meyer Shank Racing’s Simon Pagenaud led the field as the clock ticked past the halfway mark in the 61st Rolex 24 Hours, with the AXR Cadillac of Alexander Sims, the WTR Acura and the #6 Porsche in hot pursuit.
Rolex 24, Hour 9: Cadillac back in charge, scare for MSR Acura
Chip Ganassi Racing's #01 Cadillac V-LMDh led the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the nine-hour mark, as the Meyer Shank Racing Acura dropped back following a spin for Helio Castroneves.
Rolex 24, Hour 6: Acura leads Cadillac at quarter-distance
Filipe Albuquerque led the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in his Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Autosport Acura ARX-06 after six hours, chased by Pipo Derani’s Action Express Racing Cadillac V-LMDh.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 'holiday' races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week, and though it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted more just why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action.
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.