Sky F1 reporter Craig Slater issued an apology to reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen during a conversation over his championship hopes last weekend.
Red Bull’s star driver was ruled out of the Austrian Grand Prix on the first lap around the Red Bull Ring after Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli crashed into the side of his RB21.
Both Verstappen and Antonelli could not continue the 70-lap event, but it is the Dutchman who is fighting to retain his drivers’ title, not the 18-year-old Mercedes star.
After retiring from last Sunday’s race, Verstappen is now 46 points behind Lando Norris and 61 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.
As his chance of earning a record-equalling fifth consecutive championship in the sport continues to slip away, the 27-year-old is getting understandably frustrated when asked about his championship chances.
Slater then followed up by referring to the fact that the Dutchman had said the championship was not something they should talk about, especially after the DNF and the points lost as a result.
Despite the tense moment, Red Bull’s star driver recovered well from the interview given his past fiery responses to Sky, instead laughing this moment off and telling Slater not to worry over his line of questioning.