Max Verstappen once again left a moment as tense as it was striking off the track. In the preview of Japanese Grand Prix 2026the four-time world champion interrupted an official press conference in Suzuki to demand that a journalist will leave the room before beginning to answer questions.
The pilot of Red Bull sat in front of the media, looked directly at an English reporter from Guardian and he launched a phrase that froze the atmosphere:
“I’m not going to talk until he leaves.”
When the journalist asked him if the reason was a question raised last season, Verstappen responded coldly:
“Yes… get out of here.”
The reporter ended up leaving the room and only then did the Dutchman continue to pay attention to the media.
But behind that gesture there was not a simple temporary discomfort. Everything points to an injury that Verstappen has not forgotten since the close of the 2025 season.
The question that Verstappen did not forgive
As the journalist himself later explained to AFP, the origin of the conflict dates back to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025when Verstappen lost the world title to Lando Norris for just colon.
After that definition, the reporter asked him a question related to one of the most controversial episodes of the year: his incident with George Russell in it Spanish Grand Prix 2025a maneuver that cost him a key sanction in the fight for the championship.
The question, in essence, was whether that punishment had ended up influencing the loss of the title.
And apparently, Verstappen never forgave himself.
What happened between Verstappen and George Russell in Spain 2025
To understand why that question bothered him so much, we have to go back to Barcelonawhere Verstappen starred in one of the most discussed moments of last season.
In the final laps of the Spanish Grand Prixa Safety Car It completely altered the race. Red Bull called Verstappen to the pits, but only had hard tires available, a choice that left him vulnerable to his pursuers on the restart.
After losing position with Charles Leclerc and be pressured by George RussellVerstappen went through the escape and returned still ahead of the Briton. From the Red Bull wall they ordered him to give up the position to avoid a penalty for gaining an advantage off the track.
What happened next was the trigger for the entire controversy.
Verstappen appeared to lift his foot to let Russell pass, but immediately returned to his side and the two ended up colliding. The stewards considered that the Dutchman had caused the collision and imposed a penalty. 10 second penaltywhich made him fall to the tenth position at the end of the race. Furthermore, he received three penalty points in your super license.
That action was highly criticized and became one of the most sensitive moments of his season.
A wound that remained open until Abu Dhabi
Weeks after the incident, Verstappen ended up fighting for the title until the last race, but it was not enough. He won in Abu Dhabi, yes, but Lando Norris He achieved enough points to be crowned world champion by just two units.
Therefore, reconnecting Spain’s sanction with the loss of the championship was not just any question.
It was probably touching one of the most uncomfortable chords of his entire 2025.
And if Verstappen had already shown public tension with George Russell in the past—including very harsh statements between the two during the season finale—that media insistence on the Barcelona episode seems to have left a deeper mark than previously thought.
Verstappen makes it clear that he does not forget
What happened in Suzuka was not just a bad mood reaction. It was a sign that Max Verstappen He continues to carry certain episodes from last season, especially those that fueled the narrative that he lost the championship also due to his own mistakes.
It is not the first time that the Dutchman has shown a harsh relationship with the press, but this episode made something clear: there are questions that he is still not willing to tolerate.
And one of them, evidently, has a first and last name:
George Russell.
