(Motorsport-Total.com) – Former Formula 1 pilot David Coulthard is surprised that the world governing body for motor sport (FIA) has not imposed any sanctions against Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion had thrown a British journalist out of a media session at the Japanese Grand Prix.
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The incident in Suzuka occurred during a press appointment in the Red Bull hospitality. Verstappen simply refused to start the session until the reporter in question had left the room. The Dutchman’s frustration apparently stemmed from an exchange at the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi, when Verstappen lost the world championship title to Lando Norris by just two points.
The journalist, Giles Richards from the Guardian, had questioned Verstappen at the time about a collision with George Russell that had occurred earlier in the season and had influenced his position in the standings. “You forget all the other things that happened in my season. The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew that was coming,” Verstappen reacted annoyed at the time.
“You’re grinning at me so stupidly now. I don’t know. Yes, in the end, it’s part of racing. You learn. The championship consists of 24 rounds. I also received many early Christmas presents in the second half of the year, so you could question that too.”
Coulthard: “Unusual to dismiss someone from the room”
In the latest edition of the podcast Up To Speed, Coulthard now put Verstappen’s action into context. “Well, the way I see it: It’s probably not something Max will feel good about in hindsight. Because although he is absolutely right that he doesn’t have to answer the question, it is unusual to dismiss someone from the room in this environment,” said the Scot.
“And I’m actually a little surprised that the FIA hasn’t taken a stand on this. I haven’t seen anything about any warning. Because basically: if he used the word ‘shit’ there, he would get a fine.”
Coulthard draws parallels to his own active time: “I can only compare it to my time as a racing driver. Of course, I never won the world championships that Max has, but I was definitely also exposed to criticism from various journalists.”
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Criticism is hard not to take personally
In doing so, Coulthard admits that a driver has to develop a thick skin: “It’s very difficult not to take it personally. I’m sure you don’t look at the comments on social media, because there are those who love you and those who just don’t like you – that’s just the way it is.”
“I certainly received criticism. And there was always an undertone – say, when they questioned my qualifying performance. That was a legitimate question, but of course, it wasn’t easy to be asked the same question over and over again,” the former Red Bull pilot recalls.
“Some journalists were very derogatory. And it is their right as a journalist to say what they see. But it’s hard not to take it personally. No driver is exempt from that.”
The example of Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Coulthard also looks at the current generation: “At the moment, Kimi Antonelli is only receiving praise. Everything. Everyone loves him. His mother will surely collect newspaper clippings, if that’s still done today. But as surely as he is being praised right now, he will be criticized at some point in the future – especially if he makes mistakes.”
Finally, Coulthard remembers a very specific piece of criticism from his career: “I remember a journalist writing: ‘David has the amazing ability to talk about an incident as if he hadn’t even driven the car himself at the time.’ That really shocked me because he obviously thought I was just constantly looking for excuses.”
“I didn’t see it that way at the time. But maybe I was too defensive. I spoke to that journalist, we made peace and moved on. But it’s hard to take that public criticism.”
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