Cruz, who served as the trophy presenter at the F1 U.S. Grand Prix, was met with jeers as he stood on the podium to present the first-place trophy to Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Once Antonelli received the trophy, the boos quickly turned to cheers.
On X, Cruz posted about the race.
“Incredible day at the Austin Grand Prix with Caroline. Perfect Dad-daughter afternoon,” Cruz wrote on X. “The eyes of the racing world were on Texas. Congrats to Kimi Antonelli on a huge win. It was an honor to present the championship trophy.”
The 2026 sporting procedure manual from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the F1 governing body, says a “head of state” or “comparable person within the host country” should be invited to present the winning driver’s award.
Last month, Cruz was booed during his interview on ESPN’s “College Game Day” at the Texas football game against Ohio State on Sept. 12. He appeared on the show to promote the “Protect College Sports Act,” a bill passed by the Senate that establishes a framework for name, image and likeness use by college athletes and creates national rules for college athletics.