Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Formula 1
Ryan Smart
Topics: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Formula 1
Max Verstappen held private talks with Red Bull after a series of incidents at the Hungarian Grand Prix, team director Helmut Marko has revealed.
Verstappen finished in fifth place at the Hungaroring after what was a hugely eventful race for his side of the garage.
The Dutchman had to leave the track at the first corner after attempting to overtake the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and was asked by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to cede the position to Norris after he rejoined the circuit.
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Verstappen was furious on team radio, exclaiming: "So you can just run people off the track? You can tell the FIA that's something we can do from now onwards ... just driving people off the road."
He was then involved in a late-race incident with Lewis Hamilton, which was deemed to be a racing incident after Verstappen was called to the stewards room.
After the collision, the Dutchman called for Hamilton to be punished, to which Lambiase told him he would not get involved with 'childish' arguments about penalties to other teams - a reference to those other teams, not Verstappen himself.
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The three-time world champion then held little back when discussing his Red Bull team's strategy - which caused him to be undercut twice by Hamilton - and said on the radio during the Grand Prix: "You guys gave me this s**t strategy, okay? I'm trying to rescue what's left."
All in all, it was far from the perfect weekend for Verstappen. And a comment from Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft during the Grand Prix subsequently went viral.
After one of the Dutchman's angry radio messages, Croft mentioned how Verstappen had taken part in a sim race until 3am on the morning of the Grand Prix.
While this may not be an advisable strategy for most drivers, it is worth noting that Verstappen took part in a 24-hour sim race around Nurburgring overnight before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - and then won the real-life race.
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He also regularly participates in sim racing events around his F1 commitments.
Still, speaking to SPEEDWEEK, Red Bull advisor Marko - who is a director of the team and an advisor through his employment with the racing team's parent company - confirmed that private talks had been held with the reigning champion.
The Austrian added that the 25-year-old would now no longer be involved in sim races so close to the start of a Grand Prix.
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Marko explained: "Max Verstappen was rather thin-skinned this weekend, and of course it didn't take long for criticism to arise - no wonder, since he spends half the night playing sim racing.
"I have to say that in Imola, he didn't go to bed until three in the morning after a sim racing session - and then won the Grand Prix.
"Max has a different sleep pattern, and he had his seven hours of sleep. His late-night sim appearance on the Hungary weekend only came about because a driver in his team had dropped out.
"Nevertheless, we agreed that he would no longer run simulations so late in the future."