Max Verstappen did not mean to offend anyone
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen has apologised for comments he made about Lance Stroll during FP2 of the Portuguese Grand Prix weekend. Verstappen made derogatory comments following his clash with the Canadian.
The Canadian and the Dutchman made contact at the first corner of the Portimao circuit, promoting Verstappen's outburst. Both were on fast laps and they collided after Stroll entered the corner while Verstappen was driving next to him. The Red Bull driver was able to continue without too many problems, but Stroll had to stop his session early.
Verstappen was widely criticised for his outburst over the radio given the derogatory nature of the comments. The Mongolian community also criticised the Dutchman and demanded an apology from him, because they felt that the statements were racist.
The 23-year-old has now apologised for the outburst, he told De Telegraaf: "These things happen in the heat of the battle. I didn't mean to offend anyone with it, I was just angry and disappointed at that moment. We live in a world where everything might be a bit sensitive. I have had a decent talk with Lance shortly after. No hard feelings.”