It has been reported by Sport1 that Max Verstappen’s camp are ‘angry’ with 2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, after the ex-Mercedes driver questioned the Dutchman’s “mentality”.
Verstappen was clearly unhappy at last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the reigning World Champion’s weekend having been ridiculed by a driveshaft failure during Q2.
As a result, he was forced to start the race from 15th, despite having been the favourite for pole position.
To no shock at all given how fast he was throughout free practice at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Verstappen breezed his way into second by Lap 25, before finding himself five-seconds behind team-mate Sergio Perez.
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Catching the Mexican was seemingly one task too many for the 25-year-old, though, with Verstappen having been unable to catch his Red Bull counterpart.
Verstappen openly admitted after the race that he was “not happy” to finish second and that he wasn’t in F1 to claim the second step on the rostrum.
“I recovered to second which is good, and in general the whole feeling in the team, everyone is happy, but personally I’m not happy, because I’m not here to be second,” Verstappen said after the race.
His attitude and mentality were questioned after the race by Rosberg, who also called the Dutchman “weak” after he set the fastest lap on the final lap, despite having been informed by Red Bull to set a specific lap-time.
Rosberg went on to suggest that the double World Champion “could be a little more gracious” in defeat, after clips on social media showed Verstappen exiting the podium celebrations as quickly as possible.
“I think that’s weak at first,” Rosberg told Sky Sports F1.
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“What kind of sign is that for the whole team? It is not good to see [Verstappen’s reaction] really. Also, [on Saturday], he left the track very quickly and skipped the team meeting apparently, that is what we have been told.
“That is not a good approach, not a good mentality this early in the season when the team has done such a brilliant job with the car and is working so hard. He could be a little bit more gracious, I would say.”
Following Rosberg’s comments, Verstappen’s camp have revealed that he was given permission to miss the team meeting on Saturday and was told to return to his hotel to rest, having suffered from a stomach bug ahead of the weekend.