F1 star Max Verstappen says he meant no offence to TV viewers with his controversial remarks about Lance Stroll
MAX VERSTAPPEN claims he did not mean to offend TV viewers with his controversial comments towards fellow racer Lance Stroll.
The two collided in the Portuguese GP last weekend.
The Red Bull man blasted the Canadian over the team’s radio calling him a ‘retard’ and a ‘mongol’.
The politically incorrect terms went unpunished by the FIA but fans were quick to condemn the Dutchman on social media.
And speaking ahead of this weekend’s race in San Marino, while stopping short of a full retraction, Verstappen did apologise for causing offence.
He said: “First of all, I never intended to offend anyone. That’s not what I wanted.
“It happened in the heat of the moment and when you are driving at those speeds things like that can happen.
“I don’t say that the words I chose were the right ones, I also know they are not correct and I never meant to offend anyone with that.”
Verstappen says he was also quick to clear the air with Stroll after this collision in Portimao, where he finished in third place.
He added: “Of course I was swearing at Lance but I saw him straight away after and that’s what racing drivers are as well.
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“We can be angry at each other and then after five minutes when we talk to each other and when we look each other in the eyes, it is forgotten.
“So sometimes things get a bit heated up from the outside world.
“I never meant to hurt anyone in particular, so I don’t think they need to make it bigger than it is.”