Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver, has refused to give interviews to Sky F1 during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend. During the post-race press conference, Max was asked by the Daily Mail about the boycott, to which he explained that it was not related to the weekend. Max cited the constant disrespect from one particular person as the reason for his boycott, adding that he would not tolerate such treatment anymore. He further explained that this kind of approach from Sky F1 worsens the already-toxic social media environment.
Max’s refusal to give interviews to Sky F1 has sparked speculations about who he was referring to. Many believe that Max was talking about Ted Kravitz, who on his show Ted’s Notebook, made comments about Lewis Hamilton’s second place at the US GP, suggesting that Hamilton was robbed of the win.
Speaking about the boycott, Max said, “It had nothing to do with this weekend. But this year, it’s been a constant… kind of like digging, being disrespectful, especially one particular person. And at one point, it’s enough, you know? I don’t accept it. You can’t live in the past, you just have to move on.”
Max also addressed the wider issue of toxic social media and how negative coverage of athletes only adds fuel to the fire, saying, “At the moment, social media is a very toxic place. And if you are constantly being like that, live on TV, you make it only worse instead of trying to make it better in the world. You keep being… You keep disrespecting me, and one point I’m not tolerating it anymore, so that’s why I decided to stop answering.”
Max’s comments have sparked a debate on the role of media in sports and how athletes should be treated by journalists. While some believe that athletes should be able to voice their concerns and boycott media outlets that they feel are disrespectful, others argue that this sets a bad precedent and could lead to a lack of accountability in the sport.
