F1 Fans in fits as Max Verstappen's sarcastic gesture at Franco Colapinto goes viral

F1 fans shared their reactions after Red Bull driver Max Verstappen pulled out a sarcastic gesture at Alpine driver Franco Colapinto during the FP1 session in the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix. The Dutch driver had a mixed day on the streets of the principality as he finished P2 and P10 in the FP1 and FP2 sessions, respectively.

Throughout the two Practice sessions on Friday (May 23), the Dutchman found himself getting impeded by several cars at different parts of the track on his fast laps. He expressed his frustration on the subject multiple times on his team radio to his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

However, during the FP1 session, Max Verstappen could not control his frustration any longer and gave a thumbs up followed by a sarcastic applause directed towards Franco Colapinto.

F1 fans gave their reactions to the Red Bull driver's gesture on the social media platform X, with one fan posting a classic meme from Anchorman:

"Lol bro's pissed," another fan wrote.

Patatpunt

@@Patatpunt

Lol bro's pissed

Here are some more reactions:

"You can feel the Anger through the Video 😂," said a fan.

"Max Verstappen does a friendly wave to his best friend Franco Colapinto🥰🥰🥰", wrote another.

"Bro think he Kyle Kirkwood," mentioned another.

Max Verstappen had spoken about the difficulties of managing the traffic on the streets of the Principality.

Max Verstappen highlights the importance of qualifying in Monaco

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stated that navigating the traffic in the Q1 session in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix could be a "problem".

Speaking in the pre-race press conference, the 27-year-old highlighted the significance of one lap performance and said (via the FIA):

"I’d say if you're on the back, you need to push flat out in Q1 to try and make it out. So let's first find out where we are in the grid. But then, yeah, Monaco is a special one where you do push, but the track is also coming to you quite a bit even in qualifying. So, you just have to be out at the right time. And of course, traffic can be a problem in Q1 – a lot of cars out there. It’s always that fine line of how much you're willing to risk already, and making sure you’re in a good rhythm.

"At the end of the day, a lot is rhythm, because on a normal track it's a bit more straightforward. It all sounds very easy, but it’s not that straightforward, unfortunately. And with the C6 compound now, I have no idea how they’re going to respond around here as well. That’s something we all have to figure out – all the drivers, all the teams."

Max Verstappen has only taken pole position just once in his nine attempts in Monaco, but has two race wins to his name.