Racing Star With Grudge Against Reporter Goes To Extreme In Press Conference

Suzuka, Japan—Four-time world champion Max Verstappen turned Thursday’s official Formula 1 press conference into a one-man gatekeeping operation, barring veteran British journalist Giles Richards from The Guardian before he would utter a single syllable.

“I’m not speaking before he’s leaving,” Verstappen declared, motioning toward Richards, who was standing among a room of reporters at Suzuka Circuit ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. The 28-year-old Red Bull Racing driver then fell silent, arms folded, until Richards—under protest—exited the media suite.

The roots of Verstappen’s boycott trace back to last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix post-race scrum. There, Richards had questioned the Dutchman about a contentious June 1 collision with Mercedes rival George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, a clash that triggered a 10-second penalty and ultimately cost Verstappen five finishing positions and vital championship points. Verstappen, who missed a fifth consecutive title by just two points, snapped at the time: “You forget all the other stuff that happened in my season… The only thing you mention is Barcelona.”

On Thursday, Richards chronicled his ejection in a first-person piece, saying Verstappen “stared, smiled and declared he would not speak until I left,” then twice told him to “get out.” Richards added that stunned colleagues offered sympathetic glances as he complied. “Marching orders received I duly departed,” he wrote, noting that Verstappen “had been smiling throughout the exchange” and appeared to relish the power play.

The incident overshadowed preparations for a race Verstappen desperately needs to revive his 2025 campaign; he sits eighth in the standings after a sixth-place finish in Qatar and a 16th-place result in China. Team and series officials made no immediate comment on whether any regulatory lines were crossed, leaving the four-time champion’s personal veto intact for now.

With the spotlight now fixed on driver-media relations, the paddock will watch closely to see whether Verstappen’s hardline stance becomes a pattern—or a one-off salvo in a season already slipping from his grasp.