Max Verstappen confirmed the end of Red Bull's boycott of Sky Sports after their falling-out at the Mexican Grand Prix.
The Dutchman decided against speaking to the broadcaster in Mexico City after a comment made by pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz a week earlier. He had claimed Lewis Hamilton was "robbed" of the championship in 2021, which Verstappen felt cast doubt on the legitimacy of his maiden world title.
Having grown increasingly frustrated over Sky's coverage themselves, the rest of the Red Bull team decided to follow suit. The other driver Sergio Perez and team principal Christian Horner also avoided Sky cameras and microphones, as did everyone else in the team.
When speaking to reporters after the race, Horner said the plan was for the boycott to end after that weekend. "It was just to register our discontent. Sometimes some of the less impartial comments, some of the accusations that are made – TV seems to be becoming more sensationalised," he explained.
Sky bosses visited Red Bull's Milton Keynes factory earlier this week for more clear-the-air talks. And, speaking to reporters in Sao Paulo, Verstappen also made it clear it was business as usual again.
"We drew a line under it. We keep on going, and I am looking forward to it," said the Dutchman. To get rid of any doubt, Verstappen then went on to answer questions from Sky commentator David Croft in the press conference.
The first one asked by the Sky reporter was about the Sprint format in use in Brazil this weekend, which has proven controversial among fans and drivers. Verstappen made it clear he is firmly among the group who would rather see the short-form Saturday Sprints scrapped.
"I'm just not a big fan of it, because I feel like we don't really race," he explained. "Okay, there are a few points to get, but you also know that you can't really risk it because the main race is where you really get the points.
"You don't do a pit stop so you just put on the tyre that will last the distance. With these cars the racing is probably a little bit better, but overall you don't really see a lot of overtaking unless there is a car out of position. But it's really not that fun for me – everyone has their own opinion but for me it is not that fun."
