F1 fans slam 'childish' Verstappen after epic blow-up
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has been slammed by F1 fans for his involvement in an incident at the Italian Grand Prix, and the resulting blow-up.
The 20-year-old was penalised for five-seconds after colliding with Valterri Bottas, ultimately costing him a spot on the podium – and he wasn’t happy about it.
The manner of the initial incident, combined with the epic expletive-laden rant over the team radio, that had fans fuming.
“It’s ********. I gave him space!” said Verstappen after being penalised.
“They’re doing a great job of killing racing.”
Verstappen is treated far too leniently by the stewards. A 5 second penalty may have cost him today but is usually almost nothing. I reckon 20-30 seconds and some penalty points were in order. #F1 #ItalianGP
— Matthew (Matkin) (@EveryBrokenWave) September 2, 2018
Verstappen just oblivious. Turns away from the corner under braking and claims Bottas bumped him 🤔
— Marty Colven 🇨🇦 (@Bus83) September 2, 2018
@f1 on another note #Verstappen still too immature for Formula1 , I cannot believe @redbullracing lost a great driver like @danielricciardo for next year.
— ALI B. ERKILIC (@sciteart) September 2, 2018
Verstappen knew Bottas was there and didn't leave a cars width. He deserved the penalty. His childish attitude then cost him an additional place.
— Martin (@m_plewes) September 2, 2018
Cracking #ItalianGP today. Beat 1 in 8 yrs brave from hamilton to make pivotal move right at start Cracking duel between kimi and Hamilton.
Verstappen move was poor and yet whinges about it. Another seb in the making #moaner #C4F1 #crybaby— Gavin Richardson (@TheGuvna20) September 2, 2018
Man, I wanna be a fan of Verstappen, but holy cow his age shows.
— Lambda does his best (@SketchyBlazer) September 2, 2018
@F1 what about the investigation on vettel and Hamilton clash in turn 4. Verstappen and bottas clash was something in a similar manner and he was punished for that but what about the first incident?
— Mohit Pansari (@mohitpnsr44) September 2, 2018
But despite the backlash from fans and after a review, the young Dutch driver still felt hard done by afterwards.
“We were in a position where we didn’t expect be. I think we gave (Bottas) a car width, he clipped my wheel and he had to go straight,” the Dutchman told Sky Sports.
“I don’t agree with it.
“Maybe they gave the penalty because of earlier in the race, when he first tried to tag me and I went a bit wide, but, even then, I think it’s not fair. They gave it straight away.
“It’s a shame but, looking at the positives, the car is working really well.”
Bottas took a different view, however, believing that the only aspect that was “not fair” was Verstappen’s conduct on the track.
“I was really trying to do everything I could to get to the podium,” said Bottas.
“My first mission was to hold up Kimi [Raikkonen, rivalling team-mate Lewis Hamilton] for a while, but then it was to end up on the podium.
“It was hard racing, sometimes not as fair as I was hoping for. He got a penalty and I’m on the podium.”
Ricciardo fumes over another mechanical failure
Daniel Ricciardo has suffered yet another mechanical failure, capping off an incredible four retirements from the last six races.
But in the face of disappointment, the ever-smiling Aussie could always find the light side of a bad situation.
“If I’ve got a penalty in Singapore I’m probably not even going to show up,” Ricciardo joked after his early Italian Grand Prix exit.
Ricciardo did not finish the race after pulling out in the 25th lap, and despite concerns it was yet another engine failure, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said otherwise.
“We are still not entirely sure on the cause but it is a suspected clutch issue,” Horner said.
The 29-year-old will be hoping his fortunes turn if, and when, he makes his way to Singapore.
“It’s been another frustrating race for me,” Ricciardo said.
“I then realised that was because there was a lot of smoke coming out the back of the car and when I reported it to my engineers they asked me to stop.
“I feared it could have been something to do with the power unit but after we got the car back to the garage and the guys investigated, they suspect it’s a clutch issue.
“It’s been a frustrating period of races but hopefully we can change some things on the car, improve the reliability and aim for the podium in Singapore.”
with Agencies.
