Ted Kravitz shares what he said to Max Verstappen in private after Red Bull driver boycotted Sky F1

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Max Verstappen refused to speak to Sky Sports during the Mexico City weekend at the end of the 2022 season. This was triggered by a comment made by long-serving F1 broadcaster Ted Kravitz.

Kravitz had said at the previous race in the United States that Lewis Hamilton had been ‘robbed’ of the 2021 title. Verstappen took that as a jibe at his Red Bull team.

An FIA investigation found that race director Michael Masi had incorrectly applied the race restart procedure at the end of the season finale in Abu Dhabi. This gave Verstappen an extra racing lap to attack Hamilton following a safety car, allowing him to snatch the title back.

Verstappen boycotted Sky UK, as well as their German and Italian branches, after qualifying and the race in Mexico. It only lasted one race, but it was one of the most publicised confrontations between a driver and the media in recent years.

Max Verstappen understood Ted Kravitz’s position ‘completely’ in boycott talks

In an interview with The Telegraph, Kravitz revealed details of the meeting that ended the boycott. He and his colleagues held talks with Verstappen’s camp in Brazil.

Verstappen clarified that he didn’t personally ‘care’ about what Kravitz had said. However, the comments he made had sparked fresh abuse towards his mother and Kelly Piquet, his girlfriend.

That’s why the Dutchman felt he had to take action. Kravitz responded that an out-of-context clip had ‘blown up’, pinning the blame on social media culture, and a resolution was reached.

He recalled: “Max referred to this stuff on social media, and he says: ‘Look, I don’t care. People say terrible things about me all the time. I’m doing my job and you’re doing your job. It’s not us that care, it’s the people around me that care.

“‘So then if you say or people misinterpret that you say that you think I stole a championship off Lewis – even if you didn’t say that, people think that’s what you said. You’re a voice in Formula 1, and then my mum on social media gets abuse or my sister, or Kelly, my partner. It’s them I’m looking to protect’.

“I said, ‘Max, I absolutely get it, and it’s horrible and regretful and I’m sorry that it gets to these points. But these things get clipped up, it all gets blown up out [of proportion] and then we get to this point’. So then we understood each other completely.”

Max Verstappen reminds Ted Kravitz of Michael Schumacher in interviews

There was another tense moment between Verstappen and Kravitz at June’s Canadian Grand Prix. This came after the world champion unravelled at the end of the race in Spain, picking up a penalty for a controversial collision with George Russell.

Kravitz asked Verstappen whether Stephen Knowles, Red Bull’s designated rulebook expert, would change his approach. He had originally instructed Verstappen to cede fifth place back to Russell, a move the team later acknowledged was a mistake.

Verstappen interpreted this as singling out one of his colleagues, which he felt was ‘not nice’. The interview ended rather abruptly.

Kravitz says he’s always ‘on guard’ when speaking to Verstappen, who reminds him of Michael Schumacher. If a reporter asks a ‘foolish question’, he won’t hesitate to ‘put them away’.