Max Verstappen refused to talk about the first-lap incident that cost him a shot at winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - claiming he could end up in hot water with the FIA and that “people can’t handle the truth”.
The Red Bull driver started on pole in Jeddah but was challenged off the line by eventual race winner Oscar Piastri and cut Turn 2, leading to the stewards handing him a five-second penalty.
Verstappen fell behind the McLaren during the only round of pitstops and ultimately finished 2.843s adrift of Piastri at the end of the grand prix.
Paraphrasing his catchphrase, the Dutchman replaced ‘simply’ with a curse word preceding ‘lovely’ instead, when he was given the news of his punishment over the team radio.
Asked about the incident in the post-race press conference, Verstappen was more tight-lipped about the call.
“Yeah, the start happened, Turn 1 happened, and suddenly it was lap 50,” he said. “It just all went super-fast.
“The problem is that I cannot share my opinion about it because I might get penalised. So it's better not to speak about it.
“I think it's better not to talk about it. Anything I say or try to say about it, it might get me in trouble.”
The stewards’ explanation of the incident stated that they had “reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, telemetry and in-car video evidence and determined that car 81 (Piastri) had its front axle at least alongside the mirror of car 1 (Verstappen) on the inside”.
The reasons continued: “In fact, car 81 was alongside car 1 at the apex. Based on the Driver’s Standards Guidelines, it was therefore car 81’s corner and he was entitled to be given room.”
George Russell, who started third, said he was surprised Verstappen did not just give the place to Piastri upon returning to the track, while Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko spoke about their unhappiness at the stewards’ decision.
However, Verstappen - who has been less open with the media since he was fined for swearing in a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix last year - was happy to keep quiet.
Asked by Autosport if he was frustrated at feeling he could not talk freely about such situations, he replied: “I think it's just the world we live in. You can't share fully your opinion because it's not appreciated, apparently. Or people can't handle the full truth.
“For me, honestly, it's better if I don't need to say too much. It also saves my time because we already have to do so much. So, it's honestly just how everything is becoming.
“I know that I cannot swear here. But at the same time, you can also not be critical. Let me get the sheet out: there's a lot of lines [of things you cannot say or do in press conferences].
“So that's why it's better not to talk about it. Because you can put yourself in trouble and I don't think anyone wants that.”
Verstappen seemed to open up his criticism, claiming his words are also taken out of context when posted online.
“It's just that it has to do with social media in general and how the world is. I prefer not to talk, not a lot, because sometimes your words can be twisted, or people interpret it in a different way. So it's honestly better not to say too much. So that's what I'm trying to do,” he added.
“Everyone is super sensitive about everything. And then, of course, what we have currently, we cannot be critical anyway. So that's fine. Less talking, even better for me!”
