Verstappen: Vettel and Raikkonen should be 'ashamed' of themselves
Max Verstappen says that Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen should be 'ashamed' of the way they criticised him after the Belgian Grand Prix, having collided themselves at the first corner of the race.










The Dutchman's aggressive defensive driving at Spa-Francorchamps was one of the big talking points after the event, with Raikkonen fearing there could be a big accident if the Red Bull driver does not change his ways.
But Verstappen has been left far from impressed with those suggestions, especially coming from Raikkonen and Vettel who tangled within seconds of the start.
"I think they should be ashamed to cause a crash like that with their amount of experience and then complain about me," said a defiant Verstappen.
"Then they don't have to make a drama about what happened afterwards. They have to understand I'm not happy with them screwing up my entire race."
Verstappen is clear that he believes Vettel was to blame for the incident at Turn 1, as he failed to leave enough room for the cars on the inside.
"There was room for three cars," he said. "When I got alongside Kimi, he started squeezing me. If Vettel hadn't turned in and left one more metre of room, we would have all gotten through.
"On the video you can clearly see when Vettel turns in, he drives into Raikkonen. And then Kimi's car bumps into mine."
Verstappen explained that the reason he was so aggressive against both Raikkonen and Vettel in the race was as a result of what happened at the first corner.
"If they screw up my race, I'm not going to make it easy for them," he said. "I think they should understand that.
"I'm not going to say: 'come on through'. But all that happened after turn one. If turn one hadn't happened, I wouldn't have been so aggressive and pushed Raikkonen out like that."
Verstappen also insisted he had done nothing wrong in the way he blocked Raikkonen, especially because the stewards did not call him up for it.
"I think he had to lift a bit, but the stewards thought it was fine so then it's all good," he explained. "It's like I'm a red rag to a bull for him at the moment. We always seem to get in each other's way.
Looking ahead to Monza, Verstappen added: "Then we start again and try to get the best result. Vettel can come and talk to me, but I think he first has to realise what he did in turn one."
Additional reporting by Filip Cleeren

Hulkenberg says red flag cost him chance of Spa podium
What the Spa controversy reveals of Max Verstappen and his significance to F1

Latest news
Alpine: Ocon has what it takes to lead the F1 team in 2023
Alpine Formula 1 boss Otmar Szafnauer believes that Esteban Ocon has what it takes to lead the team following Fernando Alonso’s departure at the end of this season.
Why few would blame Leclerc if he leaves Ferrari in future
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior.
How Honda F1 missed a two-week window to sign Vettel
Sebastian Vettel may have enjoyed the greatest success of his Formula 1 career with Red Bull, winning four world titles - but he could have ended up with Honda instead.
Hamilton hopes Vettel showed F1 is "about something far bigger"
Lewis Hamilton hopes Sebastian Vettel's efforts to highlight issues outside of Formula 1 will set an example to young drivers to use their platform for "something far, far bigger."
Why few would blame Leclerc if he leaves Ferrari in future
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior.
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbon fibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? Pat Symonds considers the alternatives to carbon fibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin F1 move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing.
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans after Vettel decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last.
Why all signs point to F1’s Monaco special relationship continuing
OPINION: With more potential venues than there are slots in future calendars, rumours have been circulating that the Monaco Grand Prix could be a casualty of F1’s expansion into new markets. But Mark Gallagher thinks this is highly unlikely.