Max Verstappen takes aim at ‘fake F1 fans’ claiming he and Red Bull are too good

Max Verstappen has claimed that the fans who can’t appreciate his and Red Bull’s dominance are ‘fake fans’, stating that it’s not a bad thing for the sport if his team are simply “better than everyone else”.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit saw their record-breaking winning streak come to an end in Singapore last weekend after Carlos Sainz clinched the first non-Red Bull race win of the season.

Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez finished in P5 and P8 respectively after a dismal qualifying session on Saturday, prompting widespread celebrations from F1 fans who had grown tired of watching the Dutchman dominate.

The reigning world champion managed to surpass Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive Grand Prix victories at Monza ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, although he was unable to stretch out his record beyond a tally of ten.

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Speaking about Red Bull’s Singapore struggles, Verstappen said: “For me, we got beaten in a very clear way. I don’t think about what is good for Formula One and I don’t think it was necessarily bad for Formula One because we were just better than everyone else.

“If people cannot appreciate that then you are not a real fan. If people did a better job than us then they deserved to win. They shouldn’t win because people say it is boring that we are winning.”

While Verstappen’s record may have come to an end in Singapore, the Dutchman isn’t losing any sleep over it. Red Bull were totally dominant at Suzuka last season and the reigning constructor champions are expected to bounce back here in 2023.

“We stopped winning for one race but s*** happens,” Verstappen continues. “We won 10 in a row before that. I would have liked to win there as well but I know there will be a weekend where you are not winning and things go wrong.

“It was last weekend but we move on and try again. It should be a good track for us this weekend but when you look at McLaren they have been making great gains and they are normally strong in the high-speed corners so they can be quite strong here I think.”

The Dutchman clinched his second World Championship at Suzuka a year ago in bizarre fashion, but due to his underwhelming Singapore GP, he cannot repeat that feat this weekend with Qatar presenting the earliest opportunity to claim number three.