Max Verstappen fumes at 'stupid idiot' F1 rival in Las Vegas GP radio blast

18 November 2023 , 10:02

732     0

Max Verstappen lost his temper with an F1 rival during qualifying in Las Vegas (Image: Getty Images)

Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon took angry shots at one another after almost crashing in Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying.

As is often the case on street circuits, there was plenty of traffic on track at the end of Q1. Ocon, clearly not interested in playing a part in that, overtook several other drivers waiting to start their final flying laps.

But Verstappen also chose that moment to put his foot down. The result was that both of them reached the first corner at the same time, leading to them racing for track position and almost colliding.

The Red Bull went up the inside of the Alpine which almost turned into Verstappen. Ocon then sped off to continue the lap while Verstappen was able to simply abort, safe in the knowledge that he was through to the next part of the session.

That didn't mean that he wasn't bothered about the incident, though. "What a stupid idiot!" he shouted over the radio, while Ocon had a complaint of his own that he wanted heard.

Sebastian Vettel warns of looming F1 ban and is "very worried about the future"

"That's a joke, honestly. Verstappen diving into Turn 1 like crazy!" He shouted, clearly of the opinion that the Dutchman was the one in the wrong. His frustration will have been compounded by the fact he didn't make it out of Q1 and was only 17th fastest on track.

It's hardly the first time those two drivers have lost their tempers with one another. They had a physical altercation in the paddock at the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix after colliding on track during the race.

Verstappen went on to reach Q3 in qualifying as expected but didn't manage to mount a serious challenge for pole. He had to settle for P3 on track, beaten by both Ferraris, though he will join pole-sitter Charles Leclerc on the front row at the start of the race when Carlos Sainz's grid penalty is taken into account.

George Russell inherits third place after a strong session, but things were less rosy for his team-mate. Lewis Hamilton didn't reach Q3 and was 11th quickest on the road, resigned to starting 10th when Sainz drops below him on the grid.

The stars of the qualifying show were Williams who showed superior top speed on the long straights of this street track. Not only did both drivers reach the top 10, but Alex Albon was quick enough to secure the fifth grid slot while rookie team-mate Logan Sargeant will join him on the third row after the best qualifying session of his F1 career.

Daniel Moxon