Red Bull Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen has a reputation for being, well, a little prickly. On Thursday, during his media session in Japan, the four-time F1 champion exhibited some of that irascibility
After the 28-year-old Dutch and Belgian Formula 1 driver took his seat to begin the briefing in Red Bull’s hospitality center, he made an announcement.
“One second. I’m not speaking before he’s leaving,” Verstappen said, referring to journalist Giles Richards from The Guardian.
“Seriously?” Richards asked, to which Verstappen replied, “Yep.”
“Because of the question last year?” Richards asked, to which Max replied, “Yeah.”
The animosity between Verstappen and The Guardian journalist stems from a line of questioning Richards posed to Max at the post-race press conference at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Richards asked Verstappen if he regretted making contact with Mercedes driver George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen was penalized 10 seconds for the incident, costing him five places and nine points. Verstappen ended up two points short of taking his fifth drivers’ title at season’s end.
“You want me to leave?” a stunned Richards then asked. “Yeah,” Verstappen replied.
“It’s just the question I asked you in Abu Dhabi?” Richards continued. “Yeah,” Max responded.
“About Spain?” Richard persisted. “Get out,” Verstappen shot back.
“You’re really that upset about it?” Richards questioned again. “Yeah, get out,” Max fired back.
This isn’t the first time Verstappen has refused to work with certain members of the media
In 2022, Max Verstappen refused to speak with Sky Sports during the Mexico City Grand Prix because of what he said was “constantly kind of like digging, being disrespectful, especially one particular person.”
In that dustup, the Red Bull driver was alluding to analyst Ted Kravitz, who claimed that Lewis Hamilton had been “robbed” of the drivers’ championship during the contentious Abu Dhabi finish.
Then-F1 race director Michael Masi failed to follow the correct procedure for restarting the race after a safety car deployment. Many people, not just Kravtiz, felt the mistake cost Hamilton the championship that year.