Red Bull keen to clear the air after Max Verstappen incident with F1 journalist

Max Verstappen has explained his reasoning for expelling a journalist from his Thursday press session ahead of F1's Japanese Grand Prix

Max Verstappen has explained why he dismissed a British newspaper journalist from his press conference in Japan, as his Red Bull Formula 1 team is keen to clear the air over the incident.

In his Thursday session, Verstappen expelled a journalist who at the 2025 Abu Dhabi finale asked whether he regretted his red mist clash with George Russell in Barcelona last June.

It resulted in a 10s penalty for the Dutchman at the Spanish Grand Prix, costing him more points than the two he finished behind world champion Lando Norris.

The question prompted an angry response from Verstappen, who at the time said losing the title was down to a combination of factors, and Suzuka was the first time he’d seen the journalist in-person since.

So explaining the incident to Viaplay, Verstappen said it wasn't the question itself but the way it was asked which wronged him, feeling the reporter was disrespectfully grinning through his answer.

He said: "That particular question, I answer like 20 times with different people, so it's not about the question, but after the final race when you ask that and laugh in my face while asking it, it's clearly done with bad intent.

“It shows a massive lack of respect. When you're not respectful towards me, then I don't need to be respectful towards you. That's how it works in life. For me it's not correct.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

"I get asked a lot of questions,” he added, “a lot of stupid questions as well, and I answer them. That's fine. That's part of F1. But in this particular case it was clearly done with bad intent. For me, it was very clear that it was done in a disrespectful way."

The reporter in question, the highly respected Giles Richards from The Guardian, shared his account of the story, in which he suspects his body language was misunderstood by Verstappen.

It is understood Red Bull has sat down separately with both him and Richards and is keen to clear the air in the coming days or weeks so all parties can draw a line under the episode, although Verstappen said the time to talk with Richards was "not now", as the Austrian outfit has other issues after a woeful qualifying in Suzuka.

But internally, the expectation is that the incident will be cleared up ahead of May's Miami Grand Prix and that there will not be a repeat of Thursday's incident in future media sessions.