During the press conference, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen responded sharply to a British journalist who brought up the events that occurred in Spain.
On the verge of an achievement
The masterpiece – his comeback from a 104-point deficit to the world championship – was only narrowly missed, but Max Verstappen’s 2025 season remains legendary. The Dutch driver for Red Bull finished just two points behind Lando Norris, proving to everyone that he is still the benchmark in Formula 1, regardless of the fact that next year he will no longer carry the #1 on his car. When a championship slips away by such a narrow margin, it’s impossible not to look back and consider where the gap may have originated.
The Barcelona-gate
Of course, it is a question without a definitive answer because every event in a championship is interconnected, with each incident triggering another. Separating them is neither possible nor useful. During the post-race press conference in Abu Dhabi, however, someone tried to revisit arguably the most controversial moment of Verstappen’s season: the collision with George Russell in Barcelona, which cost him a 10-second penalty and dropped him five positions in the finishing order, from fifth to tenth. That incident alone cost Max Verstappen nine points in the championship.
Verstappen icy
A British journalist from The Guardian explicitly raised the topic in the press room, asking the Red Bull driver: “Max, you lost to Lando by only two points. What do you think now about the incident with George Russell in Spain? Looking back, do you regret it?” Max Verstappen, who is famously not on the best terms with the British media, fixed the journalist with a cold stare before replying caustically: “You forget all the other things that happened during my season. The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew it would happen.”
An awkward silence filled the press room for several seconds. Then Max Verstappen, maintaining the same icy composure, completed his response: “Now you’re giving me a stupid smile? I don’t know. Yes, in the end, it’s part of racing. You live and you learn. The championship consists of 24 races. I also received a lot of early Christmas gifts in the second half, so you could question that too.” There seems to be no Christmas truce in sight between Max and the British media.
No festive truce between Max and the British press this holiday season – and the frostbite might last well into 2026.
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