Verstappen blasts ‘ridiculous’ penalty, Hamilton tells him to snub ‘community service’ · RaceFans

Max Verstappen only gave short answers in the FIA press conference after qualifying, in reaction to his penalty yesterday for swearing.

The stewards ordered the world champion to complete “some work of public interest” for using a profanity during Thursday’s official press conference in Singapore.

Verstappen’s 2021 championship rival Lewis Hamilton was among those who came to his defence. Hamilton told Verstappen not to comply with the penalty.

“I think it’s a bit of a joke, to be honest,” said Hamilton in today’s press conference. “This is the pinnacle of the sport. Mistakes are made.

“I certainly [wouldn’t] be doing it and I hope Max doesn’t do it.”

Verstappen, sat with Hamilton and pole-winner Lando Norris, refused to give anything but the briefest and most perfunctory of responses to any questions in the official FIA press conference. However he did speak to members of the media afterwards.

“It’s just ridiculous to get a penalty for that,” he told Sky. “These kind of things, for me, I think when you insult someone, that’s pretty clear. I didn’t even aim it at a person. It’s a bit of a slip of the tongue moment.”

He said the stewards were bound by the regulations to penalise him. “It’s in the rules,” he said. “Honestly, this is not even to the stewards because they are just bound to a rule book.

“I actually had a great chat with them about it. They are very understanding, but it’s in the rules and they have to apply something. But for me, it’s not the right way to go forward in our sport.”

Norris jokingly told the press conference room Verstappen “deserved it”, to much laughter, before giving his real opinion. “I think it’s pretty unfair,” he said. “I don’t agree with any of it.”

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