Max Verstappen says reaction to team orders controversy 'unacceptable' and 'disgusting'

2 years ago 38

Max Verstappen says immoderate of the absorption to his relation successful the Red Bull squad orders contention successful Brazil has been "unacceptable" and "disgusting".

The satellite champion refused Red Bull's order to fto his team-mate Sergio Perez done connected the last thigh of past weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix to summation points successful his combat for 2nd successful the championship.

Verstappen said: "After the race, I looked precise atrocious successful the media. But they didn't person the wide picture.

"To instantly enactment maine down similar that is beauteous ridiculous. All the things I person work are beauteous disgusting.

"They started attacking my family, they were threatening my sister, my mum, my girlfriend, my dad. And for maine that goes mode excessively acold erstwhile you don't adjacent person the facts of what is going on. And that decidedly has to stop.

"If you person a occupation with me, that's fine, but don't spell aft my household due to the fact that that is unacceptable."

Verstappen initially appeared to beryllium referring to responses to the incidental connected societal media but helium past besides said helium had a occupation with immoderate of the media reports aft the race.

"A batch of radical what they person been penning astir maine is ridiculous," helium said.

"At the extremity of the time you lend to each the problems societal media has by penning these kinds of things.

"It is conscionable incredibly disappointing to work these benignant of things. I cognize however I americium and the squad knows however I enactment and I person ever been bully to the team."

He added: "As soon arsenic determination is thing antagonistic it needs to beryllium highlighted, it is beauteous sickening being portion of that. While astatine the extremity of the time I haven't done thing wrong; it's conscionable radical misunderstood what has been going on."

Verstappen said aft the contention successful Brazil that helium had "reasons" for refusing to fto Perez backmost up and that helium was reacting to "something that happened successful the past".

There person been reports that Verstappen believes Perez crashed deliberately astatine the extremity of qualifying astatine the Monaco Grand Prix, an incidental that prevented Verstappen completing his last lap, which would person fixed him a presumption connected the beforehand row.

As it was, Perez and Verstappen qualified 3rd and 4th and the Mexican went connected to triumph the race.

A fig of sources person told BBC Sport that Red Bull investigated the incidental aft the contention and that Perez admitted helium had crashed connected purpose.

But Perez rejected that claim, saying it was "wrong", adding: "That's conscionable speculation, and radical creating rumours. We are each alert what is going connected and we privation to support it wrong the team."

Verstappen again refused to grow connected his reasons for his actions successful Brazil, saying it would "stay betwixt maine and the team" but helium admitted Red Bull had made mistakes successful their absorption of the contention weekend.

"It was astir thing that happened earlier successful the season," helium said. "I already explained that successful Mexico, and the squad understood and agreed.

"We went to Brazil and I thought we were conscionable going spell to contention and get the champion imaginable result. We had a spot of a miscommunication connected Saturday and Sunday. Nothing had been said to maine astir a imaginable swap oregon whatever. It lone came into that past thigh that it was said connected the radio.

"And they should person known my effect already from what I said the week before.

"After the contention we had immoderate bully treatment and enactment everything connected the array and everything has been solved.

"In hindsight, we should person had that speech earlier. I person ne'er been a atrocious team-mate, I person ever been precise helpful. The squad knows that. I ever enactment the squad up beforehand due to the fact that it is simply a squad effort astatine the extremity of the day. What we learned is we person to beryllium a small much unfastened and we conscionable person to pass amended to each other."

However, Perez said that the speech aft the contention successful Brazil lone covered the events of that day.

Asked however agelong Verstappen had had a occupation with his past actions, Perez said: "I don't cognize however agelong it is there. We haven't discussed astir it."

Red Bull issued a connection connected Thursday admitting they had "made immoderate mistakes successful Brazil" and that the squad "accepted Max's reasoning".

The connection added: "Max was lone informed astatine the last country of the petition to springiness up presumption without each the indispensable accusation being relayed. This enactment Max, who has ever been an unfastened and just squad player, successful a compromising concern with small clip to respond which was not our intention."

On-board camera footage makes it wide that Verstappen was archetypal asked to fto Perez by into sixth spot aft Turn Four connected the last lap, and again 3 times arsenic helium exited the last corner.

Perez had earlier successful the contention been told "don't combat Max" erstwhile the contention resumed aft a last safety-car play truthful helium could effort to walk cars ahead.

Verstappen moved up of Perez but did not negociate to overtake Alpine's Fernando Alonso for 5th place, and was told: "If we don't walk Fernando connected the exit of 12, tin we fto Checo through, please, fto Checo backmost through."

When helium did not comply, helium was asked: "What happened?"

He replied: "I told you already past clip you guys, don't inquire that again to me. OK? Are we wide astir that? I gave my reasons and I basal by it."

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