Max Verstappen became one of the most dominating sports figures as of 2023 but his achievement, success, and position at the very top were not going to stop the driver from calling out the FIA or the F1 stakeholders for the spotty rules and regulations. There is no doubt that the Dutchman achieved a lot more than anyone has any sport.
However, there have been numerous moments when the driver has spoken against certain decisions made by the FIA. While the controversy of the FIA has been working in favor of Red Bull has become a huge topic in the sport, it seems that it hasn’t stopped the Red Bull star from speaking against them.
Max Verstappen criticizes the FIA after rocky 2023 season
As of now Verstappen has broken 16 records and is the only driver to lead 1003 laps in one season. His achievements have become a topic of conversation and have been compared to sports legends sort including drivers who have won more than him. Nonetheless, many have also been against him considering the FIA has not punished the Red Bull driver fairly while the other drivers were given penalties left and right.
With this advantage on his hand and a better chance of moving ahead of everyone else on the grid, the driver has confessed to being nonchalant and spoken against the “big boss”. He first got into controversy with the FIA in 2021 after winning the Formula 1 championship. Although many believed it was well deserved for him to win, many have pointed out that the way he won was unfair.
Since then he has received nicknames like “the FIA’s golden boy”. However, as the Las Vegas GP came closer the driver made his feelings heard. He said,
š£ļø | Max on being honest and speak up despite his salary
āItās always very easy to say āYou shouldnāt complain, because look at how much money you makeā. But who gives a fuck about how much money you make? Itās about just speaking your mind and speaking about what you think isā¦ pic.twitter.com/C9h9Zmd0ra
ā RBR News š³š±š²š½ (@redbulletin) December 1, 2023
“Itās about just speaking your mind and speaking about what you think is right, or what needs to be taken care of in the sport. I donāt care if I make $2 million or $100 million. I want always to voice my opinion. Thatās how I grew up. Thatās how I think we work as a team as well. I donāt care if itās the big boss, or the local security man, you know? It doesnāt matter to me.”
He has spoken against the unfair penalties and clarified that nothing would stop him from speaking out to make his beloved sport fair again.
Times when Verstappen got away with being punished
It is no secret that Verstappen has completely dominated the season. However, there were a few movements when the driver got away from breaking the rules while the others had to deal with a penalty or a punishment.
There is no doubt that time after time again, Verstappen has been known to be the favorite driver of FIA. They were accused of letting the Dutchman get away with similar situations that the other drivers. One of the first times this happened was when Verstappen impeded the other drivers.
However, when called by the FIA after they investigated the situation, reprimanded him and asked him to pay a fine while all the other drivers suffered penalties for impeding drivers.
šØ Regarding Max Verstappen’s pitstop infringement:
FIA: “The pit stop infringements are relating to pit crew potentially not wearing the required eye protection during a stop” #F1 #AbuDhabiGP
ā RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) November 26, 2023
Another time this occurred was when the Dutchman was caught on unseen footage as he kept on going past the limit but instead of getting punished the white line was extended only where the driver kept going past it.
Another one of these instances was when Max Verstappen overtook the other drivers in the pit lane during the Abu Dhabi GP. Instead of punishing him, the FIA decided to restrict drivers from doing so after allowing it in Mexico.