Nelson Piquet Jr says Max Verstappen has to deal with F1 journalists who ‘favour the British’

Follow us on Google Discover

Nelson Piquet Jr has defended Max Verstappen over his high-profile spat with a journalist at the Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen refused to speak to the media on Thursday until the reporter in question left.

After losing out on the title by two points at last year’s Abu Dhabi GP, Verstappen was asked by The Guardian’s Giles Richards whether he regretted his collision with George Russell in Spain. The penalty he received dropped him from fifth to 10th, costing him nine points.

Verstappen took exception to the question at the time and then ejected Richards from his pre-Japanese GP briefing over three months later.

Nelson Piquet Jr says Max Verstappen faces British bias in F1

Speaking on the Pelas Pistas podcast, Piquet Jr, the brother of Verstappen’s girlfriend Kelly, was critical of the F1 media.

In his opinion, the predominantly British press pack support drivers like Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, both of whom have fought Verstappen for the world championship.

Verstappen has previously said he has the ‘wrong passport’, heavily implying that there is an ingrained bias towards British drivers in F1.

Was Max Verstappen right to kick out a reporter during his press conference?

Last year, the reporter asked Verstappen if his Spanish GP move on George Russell cost him the title.

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Back in December, he hit out at Richards for his ‘stupid grin’, and Piquet Jr pointed out that the camera never shows the reporters in press conferences.

“We grab the camera and we’re filming the driver with a microphone,” he said. “Nobody sees what’s behind. If there was also a camera pointed to the other side to see the face of the journalist, [you would see] the reactions they make, the laughter.

“Everyone already knows that most journalists are British and they favour the British, Lando, Hamilton, anyway, all the English. This is something that is already normal in Formula 1, because it’s a sport where most of the teams are in England.”

How the media and the drivers feel about Max Verstappen’s conduct

Richards wrote in a column after Thursday’s furore that he might have given Verstappen a ‘nervous smile’ in Abu Dhabi, but certainly didn’t grin. He has been accused of bias against several drivers during his long career, he added, but endeavours to report as ‘honestly and fairly as possible’.

Eager to maintain a healthy relationship with the media, Red Bull bosses planned to speak to Verstappen over the incident.

Verstappen’s stance sparked ‘unease’ in the F1 media centre, but the hope is that the matter can be resolved amicably.

According to Will Buxton, even the drivers were shocked by Verstappen’s actions. It comes as the Dutchman considers his future in the sport, having lost his enjoyment in the 2026 cars.