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Max Verstappen caused a stir in his press conference at Suzuka today by insisting one journalist be thrown out before answering any questions.

Had someone deliberately misquoted or misrepresented him? Invaded his privacy, or his family’s? Accused him of cheating?

No, the journalist – Giles Richards of The Guardian – had merely asked Verstappen a question he did not like. Three months ago.

At last year’s season finale, Verstappen lost the world championship by a mere two points. Earlier in the season, he committed a bizarre piece of driving which earned him a penalty costing him nine points.

Pretty much anyone can do the maths. Not everyone would have the nous to challenge him about it.

Verstappen has never explained his actions during the Spanish Grand Prix which triggered that ultimately-title-losing penalty. He was acting on the advice of his team when he seemingly prepared to cede position to George Russell, only to suddenly run wide at the apex at turn five, triggering contact with the Mercedes.

What was Verstappen trying to do in this moment? Was he trying to force Russell off the track? Did he intend to cause contact, hoping to damage Russell’s car more than his own and stay ahead by doing so?

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The stewards held Verstappen entirely responsible for the collision. They ruled he “suddenly accelerated and collided with car 63 [Russell]” and “the collision was undoubtedly caused by the actions of car one [Verstappen].”

When Verstappen hit Russell, his title hopes already looked remote. He was on course to drop 50 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri. That deficit more than doubled over the following races.

Then Red Bull solved the problems with their RB21 and Verstappen began an inexorable charge. His title hopes became less remote with every passing race.

But even after his victory in Las Vegas, which left him 24 points off the lead with 50 available, defeat seemed the most likely outcome. Perhaps not by much, though. Perhaps by no more than the nine points he’d squandered in Spain.

Asked at the time where he thought he could have performed better earlier in the year, Verstappen offered “Barcelona” as his first answer. Pressed for an explanation, Verstappen gave none, saying only “I got upset,” adding: “it’s also because I care a lot.”

He also took a pre-emptive swipe against a line of questioning he clearly foresaw. “At the end of the season, let’s say I miss out on the championship, it’s not a moment that I will say ‘that’s the moment that I lost it’.”

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Verstappen’s clash with Russell looked like an entirely impulsive action with no clear thinking behind it: a spur-of-the-moment, instinctive move. Jerez 1997 stuff. But the missing explanation only became more interesting once the full implications of his penalty became clear after the final race.

It was therefore fully justified to ask Verstappen about it at that point. If he preferred not to answer, that’s his prerogative. But to throw out a journalist for doing their job is petty and vindictive.

We should expect a higher standard. That applies even if Verstappen is not the first, nor even the most successful driver to take their frustrations out on the media. At Suzuka 10 years ago Lewis Hamilton removed himself from his post-race media session without taking a single question.

Ask Verstappen a question about most aspects of his performance and you will often get a reply about the importance of “maximising” every opportunity. He does this brilliantly, perhaps better than any driver on the grid today.

When Lando Norris tried unsuccessfully to overhaul Verstappen in the second half of 2024, he threw points away far more carelessly. In contrast, Verstappen’s pursuit of the 2025 title in the second half of the year was the gold standard. If he had only kept his cool in Spain and taken fifth behind Russell he would have put himself on course for one of the greatest and most unlikely F1 championship wins of all time.

Until then, Verstappen had never failed to win a championship that he had a realistic shot at. Arguably, no other driver has done that since Ayrton Senna.

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Verstappen’s narrow defeat last year was statistically the closest of all times, in relative terms. He certainly understands what his voluntary mistake in Spain cost him.

The fact he has nursed a grudge for three months against someone who asked him a legitimate question about it is proof of that.

Comment

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