Verstappen hits out at critics in British press after Brazil GP win

Max Verstappen flushed Lando Norris's world championship hopes down the drain before turning his attack on his perceived critics in the British media.

The Dutchman, who has previously said that he holds the 'wrong passport' for Formula One, came from 17th on the grid to win a rain-sopping Brazilian Grand Prix. The brilliant victory took him 62 points ahead of Norris with just 86 still available.

As he soaked in his success on Sunday, Verstappen conducted the mandatory press conference an hour or so after his success at Interlagos.

He has been upset by recent comments from Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion and Sky pundit, who called him Dick Dastardly from Wacky Races, and with Johnny Herbert, the 1995 British Grand Prix winner and a former Sky pundit and now a FIA race steward, who said that Verstappen can have a 'horrible mindset' while driving.

Herbert, in fairness, also extolled the defending champion's superb skills, but the impression the Briton left Verstappen with was that he was out to get him. That view was reinforced by FIA officialdom's award of two 10-second penalties in Mexico a week ago when Herbert was serving as the driver steward.

Verstappen said yesterday: 'I have a quick question here. I mean, I appreciate all of you being here, but I don't see any British press!

Read More

Is something wrong with Lewis Hamilton? This was a remarkable flop, writes JONATHAN McEVOY

'Do they have to run to the airport, or they don't know where the press conference is?'

Pierre Gasly, who finished third for Alpine, was also on stage for the media call and laughed at the remark, adding: 'That's a fair question.'

Verstappen, who can retain his title in Las Vegas on November 23, told Mail Sport ahead of the British Grand Prix in July: 'Eighty to 85 per cent of the press in F1 are English. So, you have quite a dominant force with that. In the back of their minds, most would prefer their national driver to do well or in the case of an incident naturally pick the side of their countryman.

'Ex-drivers, most of them are British, so it's a bit of a one-sided affair.'

Norris made several mistakes at Interlagos, losing the lead from pole and twice running off track. However, he was defended by his McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, who said: 'Sometimes from outside it may come across like there were errors. When you lock the tyres with a car like he did today, I am not looking at the driver; I am looking at why the car keeps locking the tyres.

'The constructors' championship was always our priority, so this doesn't change anything.

'When it comes to the drivers' championship, I don't think for Lando there was any particular pressure. We were enjoying this quest. Mathematically, we are still in the championship. For Lando and Oscar (Piastri) we will go and try to win the next races.'