Max Verstappen Facing Severe Backlash After Verbal Altercation With Journalist

Suzuka—Max Verstappen’s already turbulent 2025 season has spilled into the paddock at Suzuka, where the three-time world champion demanded that a long-standing Formula One reporter leave the pre-Japanese Grand Prix media session on Thursday. The flashpoint, rooted in a question first posed at last December’s Abu Dhabi season-finale, has triggered a wave of criticism from fellow journalists and fans over a driver’s power to effectively eject a reporter from an official F1 press gathering.

The original grievance dates back to the Spanish Grand Prix, when Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell clashed on track. Stewards did not penalise the Red Bull driver, but television replays suggested Verstappen had swerved toward Russell in apparent frustration. The incident cost the Dutchman nine championship points; he ultimately lost the title to McLaren’s Lando Norris by just two.

At the Yas Marina finale, The Guardian’s Giles Richards asked Verstappen whether, with the title now decided, he regretted the move on Russell. Verstappen replied curtly: “You forget all the other stuff that happened in my season. The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew that would come. You’re giving me a stupid grin now. I don’t know… Yeah, it’s part of racing at the end. You live and learn. The championship is one of 24 rounds. I’ve also had a lot of early Christmas presents given to me in the second half, so you can also question that.”

Four months later, in the Suzuka media pen, Verstappen spotted Richards among the assembled press and refused to begin the session. “One second, I’m not speaking before he’s leaving,” the Red Bull driver said. When Richards asked, “You’re really, really that upset about it?” Verstappen continued to insist the journalist depart. Richards ultimately walked away, allowing the interview to proceed, but the episode has ignited debate about athlete–media boundaries.

Mirror sport writer John Cross posted on social platform X that “few of us tabloids on here have walked out in solidarity with colleagues in similar scenarios,” while other users argued that while drivers may decline questions, they should not dictate press-room attendance. “All the journalists should stand together against this nonsense,” one post read. “Athletes shouldn’t think of themselves as dictators. They literally get paid millions to answer a few questions.” Another commentator added: “F1 drivers or any celebrity has the right to refuse to answer a journalist’s question. They do not have the right to remove journalists from a media setting where they are doing their jobs within the rules.”

Neither Verstappen’s management nor Formula One’s commercial rights holder has issued a statement on the incident, but the standoff has become the dominant talking point ahead of this weekend’s race, raising fresh questions about accountability, media freedom, and the sport’s sometimes uneasy relationship with the press.