Red Bull receive official message from the FIA over Max Verstappen conduct

Red Bull have been officially warned by the FIA over the behavior of Max Verstappen following a press conference incident at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen has endured a torrid start to the 2026 F1 season, with a sixth placed finish in Melbourne followed up with a DNF in China and an eighth place in Japan.

While, his on-track struggles continue to be a major talking point, Verstappen made the headlines before he sat behind the wheel after he told Giles Richards from The Guardian to leave the media session.

The 28-year-old refused to answer incoming questions until the reporter had left the room, due to a question asked last year in Abu Dhabi about his incident with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Following the incident, the F1 Media Advisory Council, which includes multiple senior reporters held a meeting with the FIA to express their concerns about how Red Bull handles the situation.

With the council unanimously opposing Verstappen's antics, the FIA have officially communicated the concerns to Red Bull according to GPBlog.

Max Verstappen during media duties in Japan (credit: getty)

Richards is also believed to have met with Red Bull Racing’s head of communications to discuss the matter, however, Verstappen reportedly has no interest in meeting with the reporter.

Speaking after the incident, Verstappen insisted he has a lot of respect for journalists and claimed his reaction was a response to Richards 'laughing in his face' while asking the question.

"I have a lot of respect for everyone and I get asked a lot of questions, a lot of stupid questions as well, but I answer them, that's fine. It's not always that a question is great or whatever, but that's part of Formula 1," Verstappen Viaplay.

"[I answered] Like 20 times, it's not about the question, I always explain it very well about the thought process and what happened back.

"But after the final race when you ask that question and you start laughing in my face while asking the question, it’s clearly done with bad intent to ask the question. At that point it shows a massive lack of respect," he explained.

Richards has since denied any malice in his reporting, responding: "I’m not sure I had a stupid grin. I was certainly taken aback by the vehemence of his reply and it might have prompted a nervous smile.

"But I did not think it was funny, nor was I enjoying myself at his expense."