Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen complained after qualifying in fifth place for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix that it was because the Williams of Felipe Massa, squeezed in front of him when he was preparing his car for a hot lap and as such forced him to slow down and lose the necessary heat in his tyres to put in a quick lap
“On my last Q3 run I was behind Lewis and we were preparing our laps and just as I went into the final corner, Felipe just dived in front of me and stopped. There was a big gap behind us so I was like, ‘Why did you do that?'” he explained. “So I stayed in first gear all around the corner to make a gap to him and that basically ruined my lap because you have cold tyres, you have a very bad exit out of that last corner and then it's ruined turn one because there is understeer and the tyres are too cold.”
While speaking with reporters after Saturday night's qualifying session he also explained that he wouldn't talk to Felipe about the situation because …”he's a Brazilian so there's not much to discuss.”
Felipe took offense to Verstappen's off the cuff remark and told the Brazilian press that the young Dutchman needs to think before he makes comments like that. He also explained that he didn't do anything to baulk the Red Bull driver in the first place…
“I told him earlier today, ‘Be careful with your words because you will have a Brazilian Grand Prix at the end of year and you will have to race there. So be careful what you say,'” he told UOL Esporte. “Without a doubt, it was not right to speak about Brazilians without even knowing what he was talking about. He didn't know what he was talking about, because I didn't do anything that bothered him.”
“Maybe he wanted to find a reason for being beaten by his teammate and he needed someone to blame. I told him, ‘The same thing happened between Nico (Hulkenberg) and myself, and did you see anyone complaining?' Before you start a lap, you have to be in the best possible position. If you are not able to do that, it's your own fault.”
Verstappen's remarks were only made in jest and he had no intention of insulting anyone at all, so after Felipe's remarks Max felt he needed to clarify the situation and apologize for any offence Massa may have taken….
“I feel like I need to clarify my remarks that were made after this weekend's qualifying session,” he said on Facebook. “Being a passionate racer, I was very disappointed with my last stint and gave an emotional reaction that was taken out of context. By no means did I mean to insult the Brazilian people who I greatly respect and are always very nice to me when I visit the country. One of the highlights of my career was last year's Brazilian GP and it was extra special to do this in the country that brought us legendary drivers such as Senna, Fittipaldi and Piquet. I would like to apologize to any Brazilians that feel offended and look forward to racing in your country again.”
