Max Verstappen stages press conference protest which could land him in more FIA hot water

Max Verstappen offered only basic responses during his latest press conference following his punishment by the FIA.

Formula 1’s governing body say he must ‘accomplish some work of public interest’ after swearing in a news conference.

Verstappen bluntly responded to questions after qualifyingGetty

“I knew my car was f*****,” he said following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the language deemed to be ‘coarse’ and ‘rude’, and ‘not considered suitable for broadcast’.

Verstappen said he had, ‘No words’, when asked for his reaction to the punishment, and his frustrations appeared clear on Saturday.

After qualifying in second for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, he was in attendance for the subsequent press conference.

“Max, what happens if the behaviour in this press conference triggers another penalty, is it more community service? I mean, you’ve got a busy schedule…” asked a journalist.

However, Verstappen bluntly replied with: “No comment.”

“Max, how long do you anticipate you won’t be giving answers in the FIA press conference?” another reporter asked.

“I’m answering, just not a lot,” Verstappen replied, before adding: “A problem with my voice.”

The three-time world champion also said in response to another question: “I would prefer if you asked these questions outside the room.”

He was then spotted speaking to journalists after the conference whilst on his way to talk to television outlets, this time giving more detailed answers.

Verstappen’s apparent protest could lead to more trouble with him and the FIA, although this is not yet clear.

Journalists then crowded around him outside of the press conferenceGetty

The Dutchman’s punishment for swearing comes after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem spoke against drivers using profanities over team radio.

“We have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music,” he said.

“We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].”

However, Lewis Hamilton criticised Ben Sulayem’s comments and appeared to back his rival: “With what he said, I don’t like how he expressed it. Saying rappers is very stereotypical as most rappers are black.

“It really kind of points towards, ‘We are not like them’, so I think those were the wrong choice of words and there’s a racial element there.

“I agree things need clearing up a bit but it is also good to have some emotion as we are not robots.”

Lando Norris will start on pole for the Singapore Grand Prix, with defending champion Verstappen lining up in second and Hamilton in third.