Verstappen finished second to Oscar Piastri in Jeddah on Sunday but was left frustrated by an opening-lap penalty.
The Dutchman was deemed to have left the circuit and gained a lasting advantage in a squabble with Piastri for the race lead, landing him a five-second penalty.
Piastri’s margin of victory was 2.8 seconds, leading Christian Horner to suggest the penalty cost Verstappen the race.
Fronting the media following the encounter, the four-time world champion offered clipped responses to questions regarding the penalty.
“Start happened, Turn 1 happened, and suddenly it was lap 50,” he said.
“It just all went super-fast. The problem is that I cannot share my opinion about it because I might get penalised also, so it’s better not to speak about it.”
Take the short survey.
Pushed for more on the incident, Verstappen refused to expand: “I think it’s better not to talk about it. Anything I say or try to say about it might get me in trouble.”
Immediately post-race, Verstappen spoke with Mohammed Ben Sulayem, leading to unfounded suggestions the FIA president had told the Dutchman not to criticise the governing body.
Verstappen’s reaction comes as a result of the FIA’s tougher stance on ‘misconduct’, a broad term that also encompasses “any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers,” according to the International Sporting Code.
It’s not the first time Verstappen has elected to keep his powder dry, adopting a similar approach at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix after he was given community service for swearing in an official press conference.
“It’s just the world we live in,” he said when asked about his reluctance to speak freely since that point.
“You can’t share your opinion because it’s not appreciated apparently, or people can’t handle the full truth.
“Honestly, it’s better if I don’t say too much.
“It also saves my time because we already have to do so much. It’s honestly just how everything is becoming.
“Everyone is super sensitive about everything. And what we have currently, we cannot be critical anyway.
“So less talking – even better for me.”
Ironically, the 27-year-old described the penalty as “f*****g lovely” after learning about it in the car, a phrase that on the surface breaches the International Sporting Code.
Censored and used as part of the television broadcast, there was no further action over that exchange.
Discussion about this post