F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Verstappen blasts 'frustrated' Vettel, calls penalty 'ridiculous'

Red Bull ace Max Verstappen has labelled the penalty that cost him a podium finish at the Mexican Grand Prix as “ridiculous”, while also branding Sebastian Vettel “a very frustrated guy” in light of the Ferrari driver’s rant over the radio.

Verstappen held third for nearly the entire race before locking up at Turn One and cutting through the grass under Vettel’s pressure with three laps to go.

Although Red Bull advised him to yield the position, the 19-year-old refused to move over and went on to cross the line in third, only to be handed a five-second time penalty that pushed him back to P5.

Verstappen was clearly not impressed with the demotion, referring to a similar incident with second-placed Nico Rosberg at the start where no further action had been taken following the stewards’ review.

“We touched and [Rosberg] gained an advantage. I did not gain any advantage. I was still ahead [of Vettel] under braking and when I got back on the track, I was the same length in front.

“I think it was ridiculous. If they don’t give a penalty for [Rosberg], then they don’t give me a penalty at the end of the race.”

Talking about Vettel’s behaviour, Verstappen added: “He is shouting on the radio. I don’t know how many times he’s using a very bad language in general. I think he has to go back to school.

“I will speak to him because this is ridiculous the way he is handling [things]. He is always so frustrated, all weekend. He is shouting on the radio. In the end, he is just a very frustrated guy at the moment.”

Vettel also came under fire from Daniel Ricciardo after the Australian tried to overtake the Ferrari driver, only for Vettel to move to defend his position under braking.

Verstappen, who has been called out for similar reasons this season, caught the action on his rear view mirrors.

“At least I can do it in a good way. [Seb] does not know how to do it. Daniel was alongside him and he just turned into him and they touched.”

REPORT: Hamilton keeps title hopes alive with Mexico win

Breakfast with Stefan Johansson

15 minutes with ... Nico Rosberg

Silbermann says ... Masked in Mexico

Chris Medland's 2016 Mexican Grand Prix preview

2017 driver line-ups so far

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Marko: ‘No chance at all’ for Red Bull in Las Vegas

Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are unlikely to challenge for victory…

1 hour ago

GM revives bid to join F1 with accelerated talks for 2026 entry

Automotive giant General Motors is reportedly back in the game as a potential entrant in…

3 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Thursday's action in pictures

The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…

4 hours ago

Williams' headaches persist into Vegas practice

Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…

5 hours ago

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

7 hours ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

8 hours ago