Swearing punishment could speed up F1 exit - Verstappen

Max Verstappen said aft nan Singapore Grand Prix that his reward for swearing successful a news convention could velocity up his exit from Formula 1.

The Dutchman, 26, has often said that he is not motivated by having a agelong F1 profession and breaking each nan records, and that he has different things he wants to execute successful motorsport.

But aft a play dominated by a contention complete his behaviour successful news conferences, Verstappen made it clear his patience was wearing thin.

"These kinds of things decidedly determine my early arsenic well, erstwhile you can’t beryllium yourself aliases you person to woody pinch these kinds of silly things," he said.

"Now I americium astatine nan shape of my profession wherever you don’t want to beryllium dealing pinch this each nan time. It’s really tiring.

"For me, that is not a measurement of continuing successful nan sport, that’s for sure."

On Friday successful Singapore, Verstappen was ordered by title stewards to "accomplish immoderate activity of nationalist interest". It was a reward for swearing while describing his car’s capacity astatine nan erstwhile title successful Baku while speaking successful nan charismatic pre-event news convention connected Thursday.

He staged a protestation against nan determination by giving short answers successful nan charismatic post-qualifying news convention connected Saturday, earlier speaking to journalists extracurricular nan room.

He called nan punishment "ridiculous" and was backed by title rival Lando Norris and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.

After finishing 2nd to Norris successful nan expansive prix, Verstappen conducted nan post-race news convention successful a akin manner, earlier speaking to nan written media extensively successful nan Red Bull hospitality unit.

He described nan business arsenic "silly", and said he was being deprived of nan expertise to beryllium his authentic self.

"If you can’t really beryllium yourself to nan fullest, past it’s amended not to speak," Verstappen said. "But that’s what nary 1 wants because past you go a robot and that’s not really you should beryllium going astir it successful nan sport.

"You should beryllium capable to show emotions successful a way. That’s what racing is about. Any sport.

"Anyone connected nan pitch, if they get tackled, aliases get pushed aliases they are not happy pinch thing aliases location is simply a frustrating moment, aliases thing they get asked about, it’s rather normal location tin beryllium a benignant of reaction."

Asked whether he had told nan FIA they risked pushing him retired of nan sport, he said: "I don’t cognize really earnestly they will return that benignant of stuff, but for maine erstwhile it’s enough, it’s capable and we’ll see.

"Racing will spell on, F1 will spell connected without me. It’s not a problem. But besides it’s not a problem for me. It’s really it is."

Verstappen said he felt he had been treated unfairly, particularly arsenic he had ever tried to thief retired nan governing assemblage if asked.

"There is of people nary desire to past springiness agelong answers location erstwhile you get treated for illustration that," he said. "I ne'er really felt for illustration I had a bad narration pinch them.

"Even this twelvemonth I did voluntary activity pinch inferior stewards. I gave them half an hr interview. It was each group up. I effort to thief retired if they person small favours aliases whatever.

"I americium not a difficult personification to opportunity no, I americium like: 'OK, sure, if that’s what you guys like, I for illustration to thief out.' And past I get treated for illustration that. Well, that’s conscionable not really it works.

"So for maine it was conscionable rather straightforward, I cognize I person to reply (in nan news conference) but it doesn’t opportunity really agelong you person to reply for."

Verstappen said nan different F1 drivers, who activity together connected rules issues nether nan auspices of nan Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, backed him.

"I wrote successful nan GPDA (WhatsApp chat) nan ruling and everyone was almost laughing," he said. "Like, 'what nan hellhole is that?' So it is very silly."

Verstappen was asked really agelong he would proceed to behave successful specified a mode successful news conferences, and said he would "see wherever we are at" by nan clip of nan adjacent race, nan United States Grand Prix successful Austin, Texas, connected 18-20 October.

Implying that different decisions by officials were ill-considered, he referenced nan determination to good Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz 25,000 euros (£21,000) for crossing nan way aft crashing successful qualifying.

"Carlos sewage a good for crossing nan way arsenic well, right?" Verstappen said. "I mean, what are we talking about? It’s a reddish flag, cars are coming in, it’s rather safe and he knows what he’s doing. We are not stupid.

"These benignant of things… erstwhile I saw it moreover getting noted (by nan stewards), I was like, 'My god, what are we dealing with?' These kinds of things are super-silly.”

Asked whether he was prepared to talk nan matter pinch Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of governing assemblage nan FIA, Verstappen said: "It’s not only FIA, it’s besides F1. It’s a full really you run together."

The rumor dominated a play connected which Verstappen mislaid further crushed to Norris successful nan title but will astir apt bespeak connected being an wide affirmative consequence for him and his team.

Red Bull were expecting to struggle successful Singapore - it was nan only title they grounded to triumph past year, erstwhile they won nan title pinch nan astir ascendant play successful history.

But Verstappen ended up qualifying and finishing 2nd to Norris. Although nan McLaren driver reduced his points shortage to Verstappen to 52 points pinch six races to go, nan mean astatine which Norris has to eat into nan spread per title has gone up slightly, to 8.7 a race.

Norris, whose capacity was nan astir ascendant triumph of nan season, said: "I'm doing my champion each weekend. I'm trying to get nan astir points I tin each weekend. Includes fastest thigh and things for illustration that.

"But if Max keeps finishing 2nd and Red Bull support doing for illustration they did this weekend, past there’s thing much I tin do. So conscionable attraction connected myself and attraction connected america arsenic a team. That's it."

Norris admitted he had "paid nan value for not doing a bully capable occupation astatine times" this play successful races successful which he felt he had made mistakes that had prevented him from securing a amended result.

And he referenced different of nan controversies of nan Singapore weekend. That was complete a rear helping McLaren had utilized successful Baku but person decided to modify earlier its adjacent intended usage successful Las Vegas successful November, pursuing complaints from Red Bull astir really it was flexing and conversations pinch nan FIA.

Norris said: "I still person a batch of points I’ve sewage to drawback up and it's not going to beryllium easy to do it. It's against Red Bull and it's against Max, nan astir ascendant pairing you've ever seen successful Formula 1, from past year.

"It's nan aforesaid squad and it's nan aforesaid driver. So I person immoderate of nan toughest title that Formula 1 has ever seen successful nan sport. We are doing a amended occupation arsenic a squad correct now because my car and our car is quicker than theirs.

"But that's conscionable in installments to nan squad doing an astonishing occupation and being smarter and doing cooler things and creating mini-DRS flaps and stuff, you know.

"So it's conscionable because that's nan crippled and that's nan group we're up against, nan group who besides do it and group who create these things.

"I'm moving my bosom out, I'm moving my butt off, to effort and make judge that happens. He's trying to make judge it doesn't happen. So we'll person to hold and find out."

Verstappen was helped by a difficult play for Ferrari. Their driver Charles Leclerc appeared to person had nan gait to suffice up of Verstappen, but he made a correction connected his 1 qualifying thigh and started ninth.

Leclerc recovered to 5th spot pinch a thrust which showed beardown gait erstwhile he was moving unsocial successful nan 2nd stint.

And McLaren felt that Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri, who vanished 3rd aft starting 5th pursuing a correction connected his qualifying lap, could besides person demoted nan Dutchman.

McLaren squad main Andrea Stella said: "From a numerical constituent of view, it’s a small frustrating because I deliberation we could person gone distant from Singapore having gained much points connected Max.

"Ferrari could person vanished up of Max. Even Oscar, polishing a small spot nan qualifying laps, he could person vanished up of Max.

“But nan positives that travel from nan gait of nan car decidedly flooded this benignant of vexation erstwhile you person this benignant of pace.

"We are heading connected to nan adjacent six events, 3 of which are sprint events. It is decidedly not successful our hands. It is still successful Max’s hands. Likewise, nan constructors’ is much successful our hands.

"But we spell distant perchance encouraged and moreover optimistic that nan drivers’ title is imaginable because of nan capacity of nan car.

"We request to recognise that if we maximise nan imaginable of nan car, finishing pinch 2 cars up of Max, it’s possible, and that’s what makes america optimistic."