Max Verstappen walks out of post-race Saudi GP interview after just one question.
David Coulthard was in charge of the post-race interviews at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but Max Verstappen was in no mood to spend too much time talking after his penalty.
Max Verstappen walked out of his post-race interview, clearly still angry about the penalty which cost him a shot at victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutchman did not appear to take any particular exception to the line of questioning from David Coulthard.
A former Formula 1 driver questioned Max Verstappen after the race, saying: “Max, you were right there, but it all seemed to fall apart at the first corner. Let’s start there. Over the radio, you made it clear you didn’t think both cars could make the turn, but the stewards disagreed.”
Verstappen responded curtly: “I’ll keep it short,” he said, thanking the fans before briefly commenting on the penalty: “It is what it is. I’m looking forward to Miami—see you there.”
His terse response made it clear he was still frustrated over the penalty that significantly affected the race result. The stewards had ruled that he was at fault for the first-lap clash with Oscar Piastri while battling for the lead.
Piastri had a better start and held the inside line. Neither driver yielded, and Verstappen ran off the track to avoid a collision. He argued he was forced wide, while Piastri claimed Verstappen left the track to gain an advantage. Ultimately, the stewards agreed with the McLaren driver and gave Verstappen a five-second penalty.
Although Verstappen retained the lead initially, he lost position to Piastri after his first pit stop and remained just behind him for the rest of the race, unable to mount a serious challenge.
Piastri, in contrast, was clearly pleased. Grinning slightly when reminded he now leads the drivers’ standings for the first time in his career, he said: “It was a tough race, but I’m thrilled with the win. The key moment was the start—I made my move into turn one and that set the tone. It was tough to follow Max during the first stint, as it wore the tyres down quickly, but the clean air after the pit stop really helped.”
He added: “Once I got the inside line, I wasn’t going to settle for second through turn one. The stewards had their say, but I felt I was well alongside, and that move essentially won me the race. I’m proud of the effort we’ve put into improving our starts.”
