Max Verstappen has been told by David Croft to “calm down” after the Dutchman “barged his way past” the Mercedes team-mates heading into the tunnel in the Abu Dhabi pit lane.
Losing some 27 minutes of track time during Friday’s second practice in Abu Dhabi, the red flags out for Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg’s crashes, all the drivers were keen to get in as much running as possible.
That saw Verstappen pass both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the pit lane as he went around the outside for the Mercedes team-mates heading into the tunnel.
‘Not really in the spirit of what they’re meant to do’
Verstappen was only centimetres away from the wall as he forced his way through with Russell telling his pit wall: “Verstappen is just crossing all the lines to pass”.
Pulling off a similar move on Pierre Gasly, the Dutchman felt he was “being blocked” by his rivals.
However, Sky Sports’ Croft reckons the Dutchman was over the line with his antics.
“It’s a bit cheeky that to be fair,” said the commentator, “and now he’s trying to do is get past Pierre Gasly, there he goes. Max, calm down.
“There’s no need for that, I don’t think, and then what he’s going to do now is find himself a gap out on track and what has happened in previous races as it has irked some teams, is that Max has kind of barged his way past the pit lane exit and then slowed down to build a gap.
“Which is not really in the spirit of what they’re meant to do. It’s just silly that, I’m sorry. I don’t see the need for it.”
Verstappen, however, feels his rivals were being “silly” as they “tried to squeeze” him against the wall.
He told Formula 1: “They have to move. They’re all driving slow and I want to go out because we’re all limited on time and they just keep driving in the middle.
“And when I tried to pass, they tried to squeeze me in the wall, so a bit silly.”
