Max Verstappen has claimed that criticism towards his driving in last weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix has derived from retaining the “wrong passport” in Formula 1.
Verstappen’s wheel-to-wheel racing has become a hot topic once again since he received two 10-second penalties for barging Lando Norris wide twice within one lap.
Norris stated that his championship rival overstepped the mark, while multiple other drivers have agreed that Verstappen deserved the punishment that he was given.
The Dutchman’s antics also triggered ex-F1 champion Damon Hill to question whether Verstappen can race against his competitors in a manner which is respectable.
Verstappen’s response to Hill’s comments in the FIA’s press conference was minimal, but he later contended that his treatment in the media is down to his nationality.
“I know what most people are like, it’s nothing new,” Verstappen told Autosport in Brazil.
“Last year was perfect, so it must have hurt a lot for many people that they couldn’t say anything negative.
“Now they’ve got the chance to say something, so they’re all coming out of the woodwork. At the end of the day, I’ve got the wrong passport for this paddock.”
Verstappen hits back at Herbert
Johnny Herbert, who was on the stewards’ panel that penalised Verstappen in Mexico, implied the Red Bull driver sent Norris wide on purpose to hinder his prospects.
But while he admitted post-race that Norris could have won without the second clash at Turn 7, Verstappen was left unimpressed with Herbert’s “extreme accusation”.
“I didn’t do anything on purpose. They can’t look inside my head,” he added. “It’s a pretty extreme accusation. We just raced hard.”
No plans to change racing approach
Verstappen has suggested that he holds no plans to alter his approach, despite Norris insisting that the championship leader must adapt to avoid further punishment.
“You win some, you lose some,” he said about the outcome of his Turn 7 lunge. “It depends. Every situation is different and in hindsight, it’s always easy to have another look at it.
“It happened, we just have to make sure we have a more competitive car so we don’t end up in that situation again, because that’s where it starts.”
READ MORE – Max Verstappen hits back at F1 critics: ‘I know what I’m doing’
