Oracle Red Bull racing driver Max Verstappen speaks to the crowd during a fan experience in the Germania Insurance Amphitheater at the Formula 1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft has responded to Max Verstappen’s British media jibe from the Brazilian Grand Prix’s post-race press conference. Croft clarified that there was no link between the absence of the British media to Verstappen’s victory.
In the post-race press conference at Interlagos, the three-time world champion addressed recent discussions around media favoritism with a pointed remark. His comments followed controversies at the United States and Mexico City Grands Prix, where both Verstappen and the FIA were embroiled in disputes that sparked widespread debate.
The controversy erupted after Lando Norris was handed a 5-second penalty in Austin for an overtake which occurred outside the track limits, despite claims that Verstappen had forced him off track. The penalty dropped Norris from third to fourth, dealing a blow to his championship hopes and sparking further debate over the FIA’s handling of track limit violations.
In Mexico, Verstappen was penalized with two 10-second penalties for two similar incidents involving Norris. Red Bull felt the penalties were overly severe, while Verstappen faced criticism from several figures, including former F1 champion Damon Hill and ex-driver turned FIA steward Johnny Herbert.
Ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, Verstappen revealed his frustration over the recent criticisms, implying that they were a result of nationalistic bias. In a conversation with the media, he openly suggested that the negative attention was due to him holding the “wrong passport.” He said:
“I know what most people are like, it’s nothing new.
“Last year was perfect, so it must have hurt a lot for many people that they couldn’t say anything negative.
“Now they’ve got the chance to say something, so they’re all coming out of the woodwork. At the end of the day, I’ve got the wrong passport for this paddock.”
However, after securing victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he made an incredible charge from 17th to first in challenging conditions with near-zero visibility, Verstappen subtly pointed out the absence of British media in the post-race press conference. He told the media:
“I have a quick question here.
“I mean, I appreciate all of you being here, but I don’t see any British press!”
He added while laughing:
“[Do] They have to run to the airport, or they don’t know where the press conference is?”
Responding to Verstappen’s statements, Croft pointed out on X that the press conference was only meant for the written media, thereby ruling out a potential “British bias.” In addition, he elaborated on the process of race weekend press conferences, which explains the absence of several media personnel. He said:
“Sometimes there’s more to a story than just a sound bite or a chance to attack people for perception of British bias. For my part, as it’s a press conference for written media only, I never attend the post race conference, no matter who’s won. Thursday press conferences are different, they are for broadcast and written media together. Just to help people understand. And the quotes from this are freely available to all media, hence other journalists might be off gathering other stories at the time, in the knowledge that they won’t miss anything said at the FIA post race presser.”
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