Max Verstappen apologised to Brazilian Formula One fans on Monday after a comment about Felipe Massa caused offence at the weekend. The 19-year-old Red Bull driver had accused the Williams veteran of wrecking his best lap in qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix and was asked by reporters whether he would be speaking to him. “Well, he’s a Brazilian. So there’s not much to discuss,” Verstappen had replied.
The Dutchman, who won huge admiration for a stellar drive through the field to third place at a rains wept Interlagos circuit last year, took to Instagram to clarify remarks that went down badly in Brazil. “Being a passionate racer, I was very disappointed with my last (qualifying) stint and gave an emotional reaction that was taken out of context,” he said. “By no means did I mean to insult the Brazilian people who I greatly respect and are always very nice to me when I visit the country.
“I would like to apologise to any Brazilians that feel offended and look forward to racing in your country again,” he added, referencing Brazilian world champions Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet. Massa, the only Brazilian driver on the current starting grid, told UOL Esporte that he had spoken to Verstappen after the race and warned him to “be careful what you say because you’re going to have to go to Brazil to race there”. Verstappen crashed out of Sunday’s race at the Sakhir circuit after a brake failure.
The Red Bull driver was angry with Felipe Massa for ruining his warm-up lap prior to the third and final qualifying run on Saturday, saying the Williams star dived in front of him on the final corner. Verstappen started sixth on the grid on race day but thought he may have been up higher had it not been for Massa’s interference.
“On my last Q3 run I was behind Lewis (Hamilton) and we were preparing our laps and just as I went into the final corner, Felipe just dived in front of me and stopped,” Verstappen said. “There was a big gap behind us so I was like, ‘Why did you do that?’ So I stayed in first gear all around the corner to make a gap to him and that basically ruined my lap because you have cold tyres, you have a very bad exit out of that last corner and then it’s ruined turn one because there is understeer and the tyres are too cold.”
Asked if he would confront Massa about the incident, Verstappen said: “Well, he’s a Brazilian so there’s not much to discuss.” While the comment was made in jest, Massa warned Verstappen to think before he speaks.
