Politics took over the closing stages of the United States Grand Prix Boos for Ted Cruz and criticism over Sophie Cunningham’s appearance overshadowed Kimi Antonelli’s celebration

Kimi Antonelli has won the United States Grand Prix and is now one step away from his first world title, with only the mathematical confirmation still pending. But when the time came for the podium ceremony in Austin last night, boos could be heard from the crowd. They were not directed at the Italian driver, but at Ted Cruz, the Republican senator from Texas who had been chosen to present the trophy. When the award was then handed to Antonelli, the crowd erupted into applause.

Shortly before, another moment had attracted considerable criticism on social media. The chequered flag was waved by Sophie Cunningham, an Indiana Fever WNBA player and one of the most divisive figures in American sports. Many viewers criticised the choice of guest online, once again for ideological reasons. It was a second controversial episode in the closing moments of the Grand Prix, bringing Formula 1 into the tensions surrounding American politics.

The boos for Ted Cruz: a familiar scene

The backlash against Cruz began when he appeared on the podium and continued throughout the trophy presentation. Antonello Guerrera, a correspondent for La Repubblica, described the moment as “embarrassing”, as boos rained down “brutally” from the crowd during a sporting celebration.

It was hardly a new scene, however. The senator, an ultraconservative figure on the Republican right and a supporter of Donald Trump, had received the same treatment in Austin just a few weeks earlier, on September 12. On that occasion, Cruz had appeared on College GameDay, ESPN’s programme ahead of the NCAA football game between Texas and Ohio State. He was there to discuss the Protect College Sports Act, the proposal introduced alongside Democratic senator Maria Cantwell to establish federal regulations for college sports. During the interview, however, a large group of spectators loudly booed him and demanded that he be removed from the broadcast.

Cruz’s appearance had already prompted a debate at the time over ESPN’s decision to give him that platform, and the same happened again yesterday in the hours following the Formula 1 Grand Prix. In the same city, and not by chance: Austin is a Democratic stronghold within Texas, a traditionally Republican state. In the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris received more than 68% of the vote in Travis County, which includes most of Austin, while Trump won the state as a whole with 56%.

Why Sophie Cunningham divides the public

Sophie Cunningham is no stranger to this kind of media controversy either. Over the past year, the Indiana player has become a central figure in a debate that has gradually moved beyond the sporting sphere. The best-known episode concerns an ESPN interview in July, in which she expressed her opposition to transgender women competing in women’s sports, saying that she wanted to “protect girls in sports and in locker rooms”.

Cunningham subsequently rejected accusations of discrimination against transgender people and the assumption that she automatically aligned with the Trump movement, describing herself as politically moderate. Her comments, however, have helped turn her into a reference point for conservative politicians and commentators. Trump himself recently mentioned her at a rally in Ohio, although he focused on her physical appearance in remarks criticised for diminishing her value as an athlete. Vice President JD Vance had previously encouraged her to continue speaking out publicly.

Meanwhile, protests and counter-protests have taken place around some Indiana Fever games. One example came during an August matchup between the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty, when demonstrations in support of transgender people and signs backing Cunningham appeared outside the Barclays Center.

The story, however, has deeper roots. Back in June, one of her gestures went viral — pointing her finger at DeWanna Bonner for more than twenty seconds — during a game against Phoenix. What began as an on-court altercation took on a political dimension when the official White House account used the footage in a montage alongside images of Trump. The meme helped associate her image more closely with the MAGA world.

It was against this backdrop that Cunningham arrived in Austin, so it is hardly surprising that her appearance with the chequered flag prompted a wave of critical comments. “Who the hell invited Sophie Cunningham?”, “Anybody but Sophie Cunningham waving the chequered flag, please”, “Why does everything in America have to be about politics and scoring political points?”, read some of the reactions reported by Yahoo Sports and The Spun.

And so, between the chequered flag and the podium, the Austin Grand Prix also found itself confronting the political divisions of the United States. The choice of guests alone was enough to draw two moments of sporting celebration into the political sphere and, regardless of where one stands, turn them into occasions for protest. A sadly familiar scene at major American sporting events in 2026.