Dutch journalist Jack Plooij has revealed that under fire Sky F1 reporter Ted Kravitz told him that he “never said” what Max Verstappen is furious about, following the Dutchman claiming that “one particular person” has been “disrespecting” him.
Whilst the action on-track at the Mexican Grand Prix was not great, to say the least, plenty was taking place off it.
The entire weekend saw the Constructors’ Champions take a stand with double World Champion Verstappen, after the 25-year-old opted to boycott any interview with Sky, regardless of which countries network it was.
It comes as a response to the broadcaster’s handling of the 2021 season finale and the recent ‘Cashgate’ scandal, where Red Bull were found guilty of having made a ‘minor’ breach of the $145 million limit.
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The whole boycotting situation, though, appears to be more of a dig at Kravitz than Sky themselves, with the Dutch driver having become annoyed by some things that have been said.
During Kravitz’s post-United States Grand Prix edition of his show ‘Ted’s Notebook’, the veteran reporter by accident called Lewis Hamilton an eight-time World Champion and explained that former race director Michael Masi had ‘robbed’ him.
It’s all resulted in Red Bull refusing to talk to the broadcaster in Mexico but will resume interviews with them at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The reporter has since received vile and outright unacceptable online abuse, with almost all of his social media posts having become filled with abusive comments.
Plooij, who is a reporter for Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport, revealed that he’d spoken to the much-loved journalist, who has admitted that his words have been taken out of context, something Plooij agrees with.
“If you listen carefully to that interview, he’s walking through the paddock and he says it would be a very nice script for a film,” said Plooij.
“So cuts were made to that, so everyone only gets to hear that last bit where he tells us he was ‘robbed.’ Not Max, but the title. So Hamilton has been robbed. He doesn’t even mention the whole name Max Verstappen.
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“He sent a WhatsApp to me, [saying]: ‘At no point have I ever said what Christian Horner, Jos [Verstappen], Raymond [Vermeulen, Verstappen’s manager] or anybody thinks I did and are apparently upset about.’
“It does get hugely amplified again by those in England. The English press has been bashing Red Bull and Max for a year now. I don’t like that. It’s a bit of a game, you know.
“The English are bashing Max and Red Bull, and he is now being put forward as a scapegoat. He isn’t. I stick up for Ted.”