Max Verstappen caused a stir in the lead-up to the Japanese GP by refusing to speak to a British journalist. Due to a previous question following the season finale in Abu Dhabi, the Dutchman figuratively showed reporter Giles Richards the door on Thursday. After qualifying at Suzuka, Verstappen was asked again about the spat, to which he explained that for him it was a matter of respect.
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During the FIA press conference in Abu Dhabi, Giles Richards, a journalist for The Guardian, asked about the incident between George Russell and Max Verstappen during the Barcelona GP. The Dutchman received a penalty for it, causing him to miss out on nine points. With those nine points, Verstappen could have ultimately won the world championship. He already reacted irritably at the time, but in Japan, the matter had a sequel when he figuratively showed Richards the door: “Get out,” the Dutchman summoned.
He clarified his position to Viaplay on Saturday. “If someone asks such a question after the last race and he also laughs in your face, then there is little talk of respect for me,” Verstappen said about the situation in Abu Dhabi. “And if you don’t show respect towards me, why should I do the same in return?” he wondered. “Then you are not welcome either. That’s why I kicked him out.” Richards later published an extensive response, in which he indicated that he had at most a ‘nervous smile’ on his face in Abu Dhabi. The Englishman hopes to settle it with Verstappen soon.
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Bad intentions
Yet Verstappen stands by his action in Japan. “I’ve been in Formula 1 long enough to know who has good or bad intentions,” he assured. “At that moment, it was not well-intended and you are not welcome to me.” He does understand that many fans might not understand his reaction. “In the end, you see that question come up in Abu Dhabi, of course, but the cameras are then focused on me. You don’t see the journalist’s face, but he just started laughing in my face. You could clearly see that he had bad intentions at that moment. That’s where I draw the line.”
Verstappen now wants to draw a line under the spat. “What matters to me now is that I have to go faster on the track,” he concluded. “I don’t dwell on what I do or say on Thursday. I’m clear about that, and then it’s finished for me immediately. After that, I focus on the important things: looking with the engineers at how we can improve the car.” The four-time world champion was finally asked if he still wants to settle things with Richards. “We’ll see about that later, that’s not an issue right now.”
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