Martin Brundle has accused Max Verstappen of 'telling tales out of school' following the Dutchman's issues at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.
His comments are in reference to Red Bull’s claims that George Russell did not slow down during the yellow flag conditions, a claim the FIA disputed.
The story of the weekend was one of highs and lows for Verstappen and his Red Bull team.
Starting with the low of the sprint, after qualifying a promising 4th for the race, it all went downhill for the F1 star after he was released from his pit into the path of Mercedes youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli, resulting in damage for both drivers and forcing them to pit again. Verstappen was handed a 10 second penalty for the incident.
Max Verstappen leads the field into turn one at the Miami Grand PrixReuters The sprint ended under safety car, resulting in Verstappen tumbling from his 4th place on track to last, his first non-points scoring finish since 2016, ending an impressive streak for the four-time World Champion.
That didn’t knock the new father as he then put the car on pole for the main race, putting up a great fight with the two McLarens before ultimately losing out to both before the Virtual Safety Car.
Verstappen was also jumped by George Russell, whom he was unable to pass for the remainder of the race.
During their battle, Verstappen was adamant that the Mercedes man had sped in a yellow flag zone, a feeling the Red Bull team echoed.
The stewards ultimately determined that Russell had lifted off the throttle for the yellow flag was deployed, a result which Red Bull appealed. They felt certain he had sped.
Martin Brundle shared his perspective on the antics during his column on Sky Sports.
Martin Brundle has been critical of Max Verstappen in recent races
PA
“Russell had been struggling through the event, seemingly missing a couple of tenths of pace, but he kept his head, car, and tyres together with solid momentum along with a well-timed one and only pit stop to secure yet another podium,” Brundle wrote.
“What nearly let him down was his stomach, with some painful cramping in the final 15 laps.
“Russell had benefited from also pitting on lap 29 under the VSC and moving up to third place, but Max Verstappen kept him very honest throughout the closing phases, even telling tales out of school that George hadn’t lifted the throttle when passing a yellow flag.
“The Red Bull team escalated this after the race with a protest, one which the Stewards denied when saying ‘the protest is rejected and not founded’.”
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George Russell was accused of speeding under yellow flags at the Miami GP
Reuters
This isn’t the first time Verstappen has spotted his rivals' on track antics and it's unlikely to be the last, either.
He will return to action at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on May 18.
