18/04/2017
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen has apologised for a comment he made which was considered offensive to Brazilians.
Feeling that his best qualifying run had been spoiled by Felipe Massa, and still clearly angry, the Dutch teenager was asked if he would speak to the Williams driver about the incident.
"He's a Brazilian, so there's not much to discuss," he replied.
The comment was not well received in Brazil - scene of the Red Bull driver's epic performance last year - and subsequently Massa had words with the youngster reminding him that the penultimate race of the season is in Brazil where he might expect a hostile reception, and might therefore choose to be more careful with his words in future.
On Monday, the youngster took to Facebook to apologise and clarify his comments.
"I feel like I need to clarify my remarks that were made after this weekend's qualifying session," he wrote.
"Being a passionate racer, I was very disappointed with my last stint and gave an emotional reaction that was taken out of context.
"By no means did I mean to insult the Brazilian people who I greatly respect and are always very nice to me when I visit the country. One of the highlights of my career was last year's Brazilian GP and it was extra special to do this in the country that brought us legendary drivers such as Senna, Fittipaldi and Piquet.
"I would like to apologize to any Brazilians that feel offended and look forward to racing in your country again."