© Reuters.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Formula 1 world champions Red Bull and Max Verstappen said on Monday night that they refused to speak to Sky at the Mexican Grand Prix due to “insulting” comments about the previous race in Texas.
Dutch driver Verstappen, who won 14 races in one season, told reporters there had been “a constant kind of criticism and disrespect”, especially from one individual.
“At some point it’s enough. I don’t accept it … You can’t live in the past, you just have to move on,” the 25-year-old told reporters.
No immediate comments from Sky, which can also broadcast the interviews conducted by Formula One TV.
Verstappen won his first championship last year at the end of the season in Abu Dhabi, where the Red Bull driver entered the points race with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Race director Michael Massey’s controversial change to safety car procedures gave Verstappen the opportunity to overtake his opponent on the last lap and deny him a record eighth title.
Some Hamilton fans believe the Brit was robbed and turned to social media, while Verstappen fans responded in kind.
Verstappen said some of the comments helped fuel the animosity between the two sides.
“He continued to disrespect me and at one point I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said he made the decision to avoid Sky following comments at the United States Grand Prix where Red Bull won the constructors’ title for the first time since 2013.
In Mexico, the FIA announced that the team had accepted a seven million fine as the only team that violated the budget cap last year by spending more than allowed.
“In the next race, the service will resume. We just wanted to say that some things are not acceptable and as a team we are united,” Horner said of the boycott of his English, German and Italian station team.
Sky owns the rights to live coverage in the UK and Ireland and also provides coverage and commentary to The Walt Disney Company (NYSE 🙂 ESPN networks in the US.
“The tournament theft allegations are not something that we believe is an unbiased comment,” Horner said. “Max is very angry about this and we as a team fully support him.”
(Prepared by Ahmed Al-Khashab for the Arab newsletter)
