‘We’ve had so many f***ing questions about this’: Max Verstappen fumes as he tells reporters to stop asking about his Silverstone crash with Lewis Hamilton… as his Mercedes title rival sits in silence next to him
- Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were asked about going wheel to wheel
- The Dutchman responded first, hitting out at constant questions about the crash
- Hamilton was noticeably muted in his reply when the question was put to him
- Verstappen qualified third in Hungary behind Hamilton and Sergio Perez
Max Verstappen has hit out at the media for asking ‘so many f****** questions’ about his race-ending crash with Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone.
After the pair jostled for superiority in a thrilling opening lap on the Northamptonshire track, the seven-time world champion sent the Red Bull driver – who had come into the race in pole position – spinning at 190mph into the tyre wall at Copse Corner.
Hamilton went on to win on home soil after receiving a 10-second penalty and has now built some momentum after securing pole for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix after Verstappen had posted the fastest times in both Q1 and Q2.
Max Verstappen hit out at media questions over the incident which ended his Silverstone race
Lewis Hamilton sent Verstappen spinning into the tyre wall at 190mph during the opening lap
The pair were asked how they would behave on track if they went wheel to wheel once more in this latest leg of a compelling season, to which Verstappen fumed: ‘Can we already stop about this?
‘We’ve had so many f****** questions about this. It’s just ridiculous, honestly. Honestly, the whole of Thursday, we answered these stupid f****** questions all the time, so could we just stop about it please?
‘We are racers, we will race and of course we’re going to race hard but fair, so we just keep pushing each other.’
The question was then put to Hamilton, who had nothing to add to the Dutchman’s outburst.
Hamilton and Verstappen sat tensely after Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday
Christian Horner was furious as he branded Hamilton’s manoeuvre an act of ‘desperation’
Verstappen went into the Silverstone race 33 points ahead of Hamilton but after failing to complete a lap, he watched from hospital as the Briton cut the gap at the top of the drivers’ standings to just eight points.
The 23-year-old then tweeted his anger at Hamilton’s ‘disrespectful and unsportsmanlike’ celebrations as he bemoaned the way his afternoon ended.
The war of words has continued since the incident, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko.
Horner said Hamilton could have killed his driver and described the 35-year-old’s manoeuvre as an act of ‘desperation’, while Marko strongly hinted that Hamilton should be suspended.
The racial abuse Hamilton suffered on social media in the wake of the crash prompted Labour peer Lord Hain to accuse Horner of causing the online pile-on as Mercedes called on social media companies to come down hard on the vile trolls.
Hamilton has no further case to answer after serving a 10-second penalty before winning
Verstappen has insisted that Hamilton’s celebrations were ‘disrespectful’ after bagging victory
Mercedes continued to insist that their main man had done nothing wrong three days after the collision, with chief technical officer James Allison claiming that the circumstances meant Hamilton did not have to ‘cede his position’ as he was ‘substantially alongside’ Verstappen and made the corner.
Last Friday, FIA race director Michael Masi sent an email to teams, warning them that they will face penalties if team members visit the stewards during investigations after both Horner and Toto Wolff went to see the stewards and were involved in a heated discussion when the crash was still under review.
The penalty could involve a reprimand, a fine, a points deduction or even disqualification.
Hamilton sits on the front row of the grid in Hungary – with his title rival just behind him in third
Red Bull have announced that Verstappen’s wrecked car would cost £1.3million to repair, with the team earlier this week requesting a review into whether the 10-second penalty was too lenient.
Verstappen reiterated his displeasure on Thursday at Mercedes’ exuberant celebrations, with the Brackley-based team hitting back at Red Bull, accusing their rivals of trying to ‘tarnish the name’ of Hamilton, who will now face no further action over the crash.
With Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas taking up the front row of the grid, third-placed Verstappen must overtake at least one Mercedes or hope that at least driver drops out if he is to hang on to top spot in what is shaping up to be the most captivating year in the sport’s recent history.