F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Whiting warned Verstappen on Friday morning at Monza

FIA race director Charlie Whiting held a meeting with Max Verstappen to warn him about his driving ahead of the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

Verstappen came in for criticism from a number of drivers for his defending against Kimi Raikkonen during the Belgian Grand Prix, but when justifying his driving the 18-year-old cited the fact that the stewards took no action. Whiting met with Verstappen and Red Bull team manager Jonathan Wheatley at Monza on Friday morning ahead of FP1, with team principal Christian Horner confirming it resulted in a soft warning for the Dutchman.

“I think Charlie was keen to show him a replay of Spa,” Horner told Sky Sports. “It was if you like a gentle warning to say: ‘Look, if you do that again that will probably be a black and white flag’. A bit of a warning, so I’m sure he has taken it on board.”

And Horner himself admits Verstappen was "right on the limit" when cutting across in front of Raikkonen on the Kemmel Straight, causing the Ferrari driver to brake.

“Max has made a late move there, right on the limit," Horner said.

“What I hadn’t realised is Kimi was instructed to give the place back, didn’t give it back until the bus stop chicane where he could then DRS up to La Source, DRS up to the top of the hill and that all added to the tension and frustrating with Max which was probably a contributing factor to why that move was on the limit.”

However, Horner says he has no problems with Verstappen's driving even if it cost the team points at Spa, saying he was blameless for the damage his car sustained and pointing to his lack of experience as a factor in some incidents.

“The car got damaged in the first corner which I don’t really feel was down to him, not at all. He’s young, he’s aggressive, he’s hungry and I think part of what makes him such an attractive driver is this sheer determination that he’s got.

"We often forget he’s 18, he’s in his third year of car racing so he’s learning all the time. Yeah, some of his moves have ruffled some of the more established guys, some guys have come out in support of him, but I think it’s a curve that he’s on that he’ll look back on that, he’ll learn from it and probably faced with the same scenario he maybe would have committed to that move a little earlier.”

Silbermann says ... Mad about Max, Monza and Massa

Claire Williams on Felipe Massa and 2017 driver plans

Romain Grosjean column: Speed, sponsors and scheduling

2016 Italian Grand Prix preview

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Sainz left puzzled by double crash drama in rainy São Paulo

Carlos Sainz was left scratching his head after a disastrous Sunday at the Sao Paulo…

55 mins ago

Alonso pushed through agonizing pain to complete Sao Paulo GP

Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…

2 hours ago

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

17 hours ago

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 São Paulo GP

Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…

18 hours ago

Jos Verstappen rips British media after Brazilian Max fest

Jos Verstappen wasted no time after his son spectacular win at the São Paulo Grand…

20 hours ago

Leclerc left with ‘mixed feelings’ after disappointing Sao Paulo GP

Charles Leclerc's weekend in Sao Paulo was unfortunately a stark contrast to Ferrari's recent triumphs…

21 hours ago