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Max Verstappen has never been afraid of expressing his displeasure at a line of question he either dislikes or doesn’t want to face, and made it emphatically clear he didn’t want to talk about being one penalty point away from a one-race ban after qualifying second for the Canadian Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion didn’t look delighted when he took his seat for the post-qualifying press conference despite being relatively content with his second place - although his visage was more mild displeasure than anything indicating anger - but, when host Tom Clarkson referenced “the penalty points thing, you are alongside George”, he gave a cutting response.
“I don’t need to hear it again, it’s really pissing me off,” said Verstappen. “You speaking about it on Thursday, it’s such a waste of time, it’s very childish. That’s why I also don’t want to say too much because it's really annoying, this world that we live in.”
Verstappen was inevitably bombarded with questions about his proximity for a race ban ahead of the weekend, but did at least take the questions and bat them away. Today, he was unwilling to.
While his fatigue with the topic is understandable, it’s also possible that George Russell’s quip when being interviewed by Jacques Villeneuve after taking pole position that “I’ve got a few more points on my licence to play with” - maybe overheard by the four-time world champion - might have played a part in Verstappen’s annoyance. Doubly so given Russell was also widely reported having spoken about Verstappen's situation on Thursday.
The topic was returned to later in the press conference, when EPSN journalist Nate Saunders on the subject of the points penalty situation asked Russell and Oscar Piastri “just how different is it to fight the driver when you know that there is a that risk” and then asked Verstappen “does it feel any different going into a race like this when you have that over your head”.
Verstappen greeted the question with a double thumbs up, arms raised above his head and gave a simple “no”. Russell then gave a less flippant answer than he had done earlier.
“I don't think any driver goes out looking to crash into somebody and get penalty points on your license,” said Russell. “Max is one of the best drivers, there’s no reason for him to race any differently. And I'm not sitting here thinking he's going to give us more room, in fact probably the opposite to try and prove a point.
“So I’ll be keeping an eye, but ultimately, we're all here to win, and you're not going to do something that's going to jeopardise yourself. It’s a busy season as well, and if you get a race ban, you get a race ban and you spend some time at home, it's not ideal but it’s not the end of the world.”
Verstappen’s irritation is understandable given there’s only so many times you can answer the same question, but at the same time Russell might take the response as a sign he’s got under the skin of his front-row rival.
Given his famous criticism of Verstappen in Abu Dhabi last year was clearly an attempt to mark a line in the sand, it’s clear he’s not above a few mind games. So while this was trivial knockabout stuff, underpinning it is the reality that Verstappen’s rivals know he’s walking a tightrope.
Drivers - the good ones at least - factor everything in when weighing up racing situations and you can be certain that anyone who finds themselves going wheel to wheel with Verstappen will take into account his proximity to a ban – Russell doubly so, and perhaps he will consider Verstappen's unhappiness meant it was job done.
Verstappen is adamant he won’t change his approach, but given picking up one penalty point can be done with relative ease, he knows he can’t afford to draw the attention of the FIA stewards. That’s just part of the psychological battle that will play out tomorrow - with Verstappen doubtless confident he can respond in the best way possible by beating Russell into first place.
