Max Verstappen refused to answer several questions about his penalty following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutchman was slapped with a five-second time penalty during the race for his first-corner incident with Oscar Piastri.
He ended up finishing less than three seconds behind the McLaren driver after serving that punishment, suggesting he could have won had the stewards not penalised him for going off track and gaining an advantage. And the Red Bull driver was in no mood to talk about it as he fulfilled his media duties after the Grand Prix.
First, he cut his parc ferme interview short by warning host David Coulthard that he was “going to keep it quite short”. Verstappen then thanked fans for their support, prompting a huge cheer from those in the stands, said: “The rest is what it is,” and then walked off.
As he finished in the top three, Verstappen was required to attend the FIA press conference after the podium ceremony. He did turn up and answered some questions on other topics, but flat refused to speak his mind about the penalty.
“The problem is that I cannot share my opinion about it because I might get penalised also, so it’s better not to speak about it,” he said when asked for the first time about the incident. When he was pressed on the topic, he added: “I think it’s better not to talk about it. Anything I say or try to say about it might get me in trouble.”
The FIA has introduced stricter rules for this season which means drivers can land themselves in hot water for their actions during press conferences. For example, swearing now amounts to ‘misconduct’ and can result in huge fines, race bans and the docking of championship points for repeat offenders.
But swearing is not the only thing that is outlawed as anything said that could “injure” the FIA or the sport of F1 is also punishable. Given the ambiguity of that rule, Verstappen was unwilling to criticise the stewards who are employed by the FIA, even if their penalty decisions are taken independently from the governing body.
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His reluctance to answer those questions prompted further probing of the reasons why he was remaining tight-lipped. When one journalist told him he doesn’t “seem as happy” and asked if F1 is still fun for him, Verstappen said: “It has to do with social media in general, and how the world is.
“I prefer not to talk a lot because sometimes your words can be twisted or people interpret it in a different way. It’s honestly better not to say too much. So that’s what I’m trying to do.
“You can’t share your opinion because it’s not appreciated apparently, or people can’t handle the full truth. Honestly, it’s better if I don’t say too much. It also saves my time because we already have to do so much.
“It’s honestly just how everything is becoming. Everyone is super sensitive about everything. And what we have currently, we cannot be critical anyway. So less talking – even better for me.”
Verstappen later faced one final question on the topic, asked who his “ire” at the current situation was directed at. In response, he suggested it was at the FIA’s harsher rules as he said: “I know I cannot swear in here, but at the same time, you also can’t be critical in any form that might ‘harm’ or ‘danger’.
“Let me get the sheet out. There’s a lot of lines, you know? So that’s why it’s better not to talk about it – you can put yourself in trouble, and I don’t think anyone wants that.”
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