26/10/2017
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen claims he has no regrets about comments he made in Austin in the moments after learning that a time penalty for exceeding track limits and gaining an advantage had cost him a podium finish.
"It's a shame we miss out on the podium as they take it away again but it's just one idiot steward who always makes the decisions up there against me," said the Dutch youngster at the time.
"The crowd is loving it and then you do something like that on world TV," he added. "The way they did it is unbelievable. The sport makes no sense. They kill the race like that."
If, four days later, anyone was expecting a mea culpa from the youngster, they were to be disappointed.
"After a race, emotions always run high, especially when you have been taken off the podium, which I think I deserved," he told reporters. "I could have used different words but l still think the decision wasn't correct. I was angry. But the words were not correct.
"If l was really gaining an advantage, l would have done it on every single lap," he said of the move during his last lap duel with Kimi Raikkonen. "First I was trying to avoid an accident and then to overtake him.
"The punishment was not correct," he insisted, "everyone was running off the track at Turn 8 and 9, even in Turn 6, when you got behind someone, they were cutting the inside. Everyone was doing it.
"I think it is quite normal that I get angry. Of course I could have used a few different words, but at the end I still think the decision was not correct.
"You also have to understand my point of view, but, of course, the words were not correct," he admitted. "But I cannot change that right now."
Asked to name the steward his comments were aimed at, he refused: "It was not meant for anyone. I was not trying to offend anyone, otherwise I would have named them by name."
Though neither he nor team boss Christian Horner would name names it is widely thought the steward they were referring to is Australian Garry Connelly. However, it has since been revealed that fellow steward, Mike Salo, has received death threats from 'fans' angry at the decision.
It was in Mexico twelve months ago by the way, that Sebastian Vettel delivered his special message to race director Charlie Whiting, relating to a certain Mr Verstappen.
Check out our Thursday gallery from Mexico, here.