Verstappen on politics: ‘Not only me who must speak up!’

Reigning champion Verstappen tops the standings heading into this weekend’s F1 French Grand Prix, where he aims to hit back after his closest challenger Charles Leclerc won in Austria last time out.

Verstappen has been questioned about comments made by his girlfriend’s father, the ex-F1 champion Nelson Piquet, about Lewis Hamilton plus the behaviour of fans at the Austrian Grand Prix, where people reported sexual harassment in the grandstands.

“I don’t think that it’s only me who must speak up,” Verstappen said at the Circuit Paul Ricard when asked about these issues again. 

“That’s what I did in the press conference which has more traction.

“If I had to speak up about everything in the world then I would be non-stop on social media. There is a place and a time.

“For the past year I feel like all I have spoken about is political stuff. At the end of the day, I’m a Formula 1 driver.

“When I am asked, I say what I think. But I shouldn’t be the political movement behind it because I am a driver in a sport.

“They might be my fans, but they are also fans of the sport. So the sport must take action, not only the driver.”

Is Verstappen worried about Covid-19?

Lewis Hamilton has detailed why he chooses to continue wearing a face-mask to protect himself from Covid-19.

Verstappen said: “Everyone has their own preferences. If you stay somewhere for 5-10 minutes it’s not too bad, but if you stayed in a closed-off area with people who are not tested? It is a different story.

“The FIA is following the local authorities.

“We have all opened up and sometimes it seems that people forget it is still around.

“It would be very sad if drivers have to miss races because of it.”

Verstappen vs Leclerc for the 2022 F1 title?

The Dutchman remembered his early season struggles when it looked like Red Bull might be playing catch-up to Ferrari.

“After Melbourne I hoped, at the end of the season, we would have a potential chance,” he said. “Then it really quickly turned around. That just shows it can go the other way, too.

“There has never been a dominant weekend from us. At the start of the season, we were the ones chasing Ferrari and they had retirements which we took advantage of. And their strategy calls.

“We are still overweight which is costing us lap time.

“If you are overweight, you carry it all the time. It is free lap time that you are giving away. There is no upgrade that can overcome that.

“Overall Ferrari have had more dominant weekends than we have had.”

He said about Red Bull’s performance: “If we had stronger front tyres we could attack a corner better. But on the other hand, it puts a limit on what you could gain on a lower speed corner.

“We have struggled with degradation more than last year. On average we have done more stops which comes from the front giving up.

“The cars are very different [to last year].

“We still need to bring updates to the car, and they need to work. There is no guarantee.”

Verstappen encouraged the improvement of Mercedes, who have seen Hamilton claim consecutive podiums which has led him to claim that he can still win a race this season.

“It is a good thing because it means everyone has to be at 100 percent to get the points they deserve,” Verstappen said. “In general for the sport it is better to have three teams fighting. For myself it is better because, with more cars, more things can happen.”

Verstappen said about the rumours of the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit being dropped from the F1 calendar: “It is sad. It is my favourite track to drive. It is a very iconic track. 

“I don’t want to see myself in 2028 driving only on street circuits, close to cities, just for fan engagement. I understand it is about money. F1 cars are not designed for [street circuits].”