Firstly, the BBC's actual title was "Jenson Button unhurt after armed men threaten him", which seems pretty un sensationalist to me.
However, I do question their assertion that he was "targetted". Whilst it's very likely that the robbers, (because that's exactly what they were), were lying in wait in that particular location because they knew it was a route to the circuit, (and only pretty rich people can afford F1 tickets in Brasil), in order to rob people on their way to and from it, I find it hard to believe they were waiting for Jensen specifically. For one how would they know when he was likely to be passing by?
Secondly, this event has absolutely zero to do with the passion of the Brasilian nation for F1 as a sport. Armed robberies are widespread and occur on multiple occasions every day in Sao Paulo, (as does real car jacking). Apart from the fact that rich F1 fans are more likely to be targets than average people just walking down the street, this event has nothing to do with F1. Sao Paulo is a violent city. Violent crime is endemic there, (as it is in many other towns/cities in Brasil).