Verstappen Suggests British Media Has Natural Bias Towards Their Drivers

Sunday, 07 July 2024 at 21:00

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen asserted he can sense that the opinions of the media and experts tend to favor British drivers.

The triple World Champion was hit with a wave of criticism with Lando Norris (which put the McLaren driver out of the race) following the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

The majority of pundits, experts, and former F1 drivers supported Norris and blasted Max Verstappen for his driving style, which exceeded the regulations.

Some even proposed the ten-second penalty wasn't enough for the Red Bull Racing driver. Was this an unfair judgment against Verstappen?

Interestingly, speaking at the FIA press conference ahead of the British Grand Prix, Norris himself retracted his own post-race statements and sided with Verstappen, suggesting the stewards should allow drivers more hard racing.

The 24-year-old did not say he believed the Dutchman didn't deserve a penalty, but to some, it might seem as though he received much more heat for the incident than he deserved.

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As reported by Daily Mail, the 26-year-old driver himself suggested he can feel that media and experts tend to favor the British drivers. Why? He explained:

"Eighty to 85 percent of the press in F1 is English, so you have quite a dominant force with that. In the back of their minds, most would prefer their national driver to do well or, in the case of an incident, naturally pick the side of their countryman."

British broadcasts get the most views, and naturally, the most well-spoken pundits are British as well. Verstappen suggests that these Britons tend to subconsciously favor their own countrymen.

Although the triple World Champion feels it is that way, he also asserted it's nothing that would bother him personally. He added:

"Ex-drivers, most of them are British, so it's a bit of a one-sided affair. With the way I grew up, these kind of things won't unsettle me."

"For me, these are quite minor disturbances. I know how to focus on the race and how to get the best performance out of myself, even with what might be going on in the background."