Max Verstappen has dismissed Red Bull’s budget cap scandal as the usual noise from intense rivals Mercedes and Ferrari.
The reigning world champion, who in Singapore is on the cusp of now wrapping up his second consecutive drivers’ title, says he is not worried about being stripped of his crowns.
“What I hear from the team is that everything was done correctly,” the Dutchman is quoted by De Telegraaf.
“I don’t value it. I know where it comes from and which people are complaining about it.”
Verstappen, who turned 25 on Friday, even said he is not surprised that many members of the media are declaring that the saga could cost him his titles.
“Yes, especially in England I am not surprised,” he said.
“But I have no fear of it. It is the other teams talking when they cannot have all the information.
“I think that’s a bit stupid. What do I think? Just shutup.”
To make the situation worse, Verstappen could not hide his fury with his own team after qualifying. He says it was “unacceptable” that his final fast lap was called off by his engineer because of a lack of fuel for the mandatory 1-litre sample.
“We had only refuelled for five laps,” Dr Helmut Marko explained. “If we hadn’t come in, they would have disqualified us.
“Things like that can happen – it’s not just Ferrari,” he joked. “But here of course it is doubly bitter.”
He admitted that Verstappen will have trouble scything through the field to charge for victory from eighth on the grid.
“It won’t be possible to catch up like we did in Hungary,” Marko said.
Verstappen agrees with that.
“I don’t think I can get on the podium. It’s so difficult to overtake here,” he told Canal Plus.
“It’s a bit like Monaco. You have to try to follow and try something on the strategy. I think tomorrow I will be saying that I was blocked by the cars in front of me.
“Of course I’m not entirely happy with what went on. I know that Formula 1 is a team sport and I can make a mistake, the team can make a mistake.
“But this is always unacceptable.”
Verstappen denied that his anger is a sign that he is feeling the pressure even though he is otherwise cruising to his second title win.
“I let it all come to me. I don’t feel any pressure,” he insisted.
“I also think it is right to take a critical position. If I screw up, the team can tell me about it too.
“We want to be perfect. Not just good, but perfect.”
(GMM)
