Nico Rosberg slams Max Verstappen's reaction to Saudi Arabian GP result

Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg has told Max Verstappen to be ‘more gracious’ after he said he was ‘unhappy to finish second’ at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

A broken drivetrain in qualifying meant that Verstappen started last Sunday’s race from 15th on the grid, with Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez on pole.

But such is the pace of the RB19, that the two-time champion was able to scythe through the pack in no time at all and was up to second by the halfway point of the race.

He was unable to catch Perez however, finishing runner-up in Jeddah by just over five seconds, though he did manage to snatch the fastest lap bonus point away from the Mexican right at the very end – a somewhat controversial act.

Though the Dutchman was pleased to see the team record back-to-back 1-2 finishes, he cut a disappointed figure on the podium and in the post-race press conference, saying: ‘I recovered to second which is good and in general the whole feeling in the team is happy.

‘But personally I am not happy. I am not here to be second, especially when you are working very hard back at the factory to come here in a good state and making sure everything is spot on.

‘When you are fighting for a championship and it looks like it is just between two cars [Verstappen and Perez] you have to make sure the two cars are reliable. We have to do better, absolutely – a cleaner weekend would be nice.

‘We are allowed to race so the best man will finish in front.’

By scoring the bonus point, Verstappen remains ahead of Perez in the standings by just a point after two races, with the latter also saying he is ‘ready to fight’ for the title.

Having won a record 15 of the 22 races last year, it is understandable to see the 25-year-old strive for perfection at every grand prix, but some, including Rosberg, were less than impressed with the driver’s comments.

‘It is not good to see. We were also told he skipped the team meeting [on Saturday] apparently,’ the 2016 champion told Sky Sports.

‘I don’t think it’s a good approach or mentality so early in the season when the team has done such a brilliant job and worked so hard. I think he could be more gracious.’

The 2023 F1 season continues with the Australian Grand Prix on 2nd April.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news onFacebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Source: Read Full Article