Max Verstappen fed up with talk of race bans and penalty points
Max Verstappen fed up with talk of race bans and penalty points
MONTREAL – Max Verstappen showed his irritation with questions about penalty points and race bans after qualifying on the front row for the Canadian Grand Prix on June 15 alongside old foe George Russell.
Mercedes' Russell took pole position for the second year in a row with Red Bull's Verstappen, who is chasing a fourth successive Canadian victory, second fastest. The race took place after press time.
The event will be the first since the Formula One rivals collided in Spain, an incident that left Verstappen one penalty point away from a mandatory ban.
Asked about 'the penalty points thing' at a post-qualifying press conference, Verstappen did not hold back.
'I don't need to hear it again. It's really pissing me off. I mean, you were speaking about it on Thursday. It's such a waste of time. It's very childish,' he said.
'So, that's why I also don't want to say too much because it's really annoying, this world that we live in.'
Verstappen acknowledged after Spain that he made a mistake in driving into Russell, an incident stemming from frustration at having to hand back a place, but the topic has followed him to Canada.
With the pair lining up alongside each other, the paddock was full of discussion about what might happen on the short run down to the first corner in the June 15 race.
The pair could never be described as good friends, the bad blood between them laid bare at last season's Abu Dhabi season-ender when they publicly traded accusations of bullying and lying.
Russell joked on June 14 that he had fewer penalty points on his super-licence, and therefore more room to play with, but seriously did not expect any real advantage.
'I don't think any driver goes out looking to crash into somebody and get penalty points on your licence. Max is one of the best drivers,' he said.
'There's no reason for him to race any differently, and I'm not sitting here thinking he's going to give us more room. If anything, probably the opposite to try and prove a point.
'Ultimately, we're all here to win. You're not going to do something that's going to jeopardise yourself from the race. It's a busy season as well. If you get a race ban, you get a race ban and spend some time at home.'
In other news, the Las Vegas Grand Prix will remain on the Formula One schedule through at least 2027, F1 confirmed on June 14.
F1 officials and race organisers both expressed interest in keeping the event on the calendar into the next decade.
'We've agreed collectively that we're going to do a two-year extension for 2026 and 2027,' Las Vegas GP president Emily Prazer said, per ESPN. 'We want to make sure that we're continuing to evolve what we're doing, but the intent is a much longer-term arrangement.'
The race is on the F1 calendar for the weekend before Thanksgiving in 2025 (Nov 22) and 2026 (Nov 21).
According to Las Vegas figures, the 2024 event generated US$934 million (S$1.2 billion) in revenue and raised US$45 million in taxes. REUTERS
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