Red Bull management ‘intend to speak with’ Max Verstappen over journalist spat at Japanese GP

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Red Bull bosses will speak to Max Verstappen privately after he ejected a journalist from his pre-race press briefing at the Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen refused to speak until the individual in question had left the room.

Verstappen’s grievance dates back to last year’s Abu Dhabi GP, when Giles Richards of The Guardian asked him whether he regretted a collision with George Russell in Spain. That incident earned him a 10-second penalty, dropping him from fifth to 10th.

The Red Bull driver ultimately lost out on the title by just two points, so it was clearly costly. But Verstappen was unhappy with the question and the ‘stupid grin’ that Richards had on his face.

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.

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Red Bull will speak to Max Verstappen after he ejected journalist from press conference

According to BILD, Verstappen’s stance has led to ‘internal’ unease at Red Bull. Officially, the Milton Keynes outfit aren’t commenting, but ‘those in charge intend to speak with’ him.

As the report notes, team principal Laurent Mekies is walking a ‘tightrope’ here. He will be wary of upsetting the team’s most valued asset, particularly at a time when Verstappen is already unhappy over the car’s competitiveness and, even more so, F1’s general direction.

• READ MORE: Max Verstappen’s tantrum at the Japanese Grand Prix should have alarm bells ringing at Red Bull

But equally, Verstappen has ‘violated the values’ of Red Bull as a company. They value their relationships with the media across all of their sporting ventures.

That’s because it offers them ‘free advertising’, and one of the main reasons they’re in F1 in the first place is to sell energy drinks. It remains to be seen whether Richards will be invited back for future briefings.

Max Verstappen needs to accept that his impulsiveness may have cost him 2025 title

Verstappen was repeatedly questioned on the Russell incident last year, so one can understand why he lost his patience. He clearly felt the matter had already been addressed.

But equally, given the extremely close nature of last year’s title fight, Richards was well within his rights to bring it up in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen made the point that all three drivers involved, particularly the two McLarens, left points on the table all year through mistakes or unreliability.

But this was different. Nico Rosberg even wanted Verstappen black-flagged in Barcelona because he felt the contact with Russell was deliberate.

While the stewards didn’t have enough evidence to back that up, it was clear that Verstappen was extremely frustrated behind the wheel, and the move ranks as one of the most egregious offences of the year.

It would be fair to argue that one impulsive moment cost Verstappen the world championship. The sooner he accepts that, the better off he will be the next time he finds himself in a close title battle.