Why Max Verstappen Kicked Out a Journalist From a Japan F1 Media Session

The Red Bull star carried over resentment from a previous exchange, resulting in a bizarre and tense scene ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen refused to answer any questions until the journalist left the room. | Marcel van Dorst/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto via Getty Images

It’s said that time heals all wounds but Max Verstappen made clear Thursday that perhaps not enough days have passed to heal one wound in particular.

Ahead of the weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, the Red Bull Formula One driver refused to begin a media session until a journalist, Giles Richards from the Guardian, was removed from the room. Verstappen gestured in the direction of a reporter from the Guardian and the pair started a back-and-forth. The full exchange was as follows:

Verstappen: “I’m not speaking before he leaves.”

Richards: “You want me to leave?”

Verstappen: “Yep.”

Richards: “Because of the question I asked you in Abu Dhabi about Spain?”

Verstappen: “Yep. Get out.”

Richards: “You’re really that upset about it?”

Verstappen: “Get out.”

At that point, Richards left the room and Verstappen said: “Now we can start.” The media session continued on as scheduled, with the Red Bull driver answering questions about his GT3 race last weekend at the Nurburgring, upcoming qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix and more.

Why Was Verstappen So Determined to Get This Reporter Removed?

Due to the brief exchange that took place before Richards left the Red Bull hospitality tent, there is some clarity on what led to Thursday’s spat.

In last year’s post-race press conference at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Richards asked Verstappen, who had just lost the drivers’ championship to Lando Norris by two points, if he regretted his actions in Spain earlier in the season.

In Barcelona, Verstappen appeared to intentionally run into the side of George Russell after briefly letting the Mercedes pass. The incident led to severe in-race consequences for Verstappen, who earned a time penalty that cost him nine championship points—an amount he could have benefitted from later in the year in the title fight with Norris.

“You forget all the other stuff that happened in my season,” Verstappen responded to the question at the time in Abu Dhabi. “The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew that [question] would come. You’re giving me a stupid grin now.”

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— not scuderiafemboy (@hugeballsracing) December 7, 2025

At the time, the interaction made the rounds on social media, but also brought about a fairly definitive end to questions about what went wrong during Verstappen’s 2025 season. That is, until Thursday.

How Did Giles Richards Respond?

Richards may have left the media session in Suzuka—but that didn’t keep him from giving his thoughts on the exchange.

Richards wrote a column shortly after the news started to make the rounds of his departure. In the brief story, he gave his telling of events and also said that the interaction had already resulted in him receiving unsavory emails.

“Marching orders received I duly departed,” Richards wrote. “Verstappen had been smiling throughout the exchange. Perhaps he was simply enjoying the power dynamic? The day carried on; there are far more serious problems in the world than an F1 driver being cross with you.

“Within two hours someone had tracked down my email. ‘You’re the problem. You’re the toxic dipshit who’s responsible for the whole British bias in F1. You’re the worst,’ it read. As abuse goes at least the apostrophes were in the correct places and it was not written in green crayon. I have not looked at X and have no plans to do so.”

Other journalists who were on site in Suzuka also publicly defended Richards, vouching for his track record of covering F1 fairly.

What This Means for Verstappen’s 2026 Season

It’s difficult to see this interaction as anything other than a outward display of the frustration Verstappen has exhibited at the start of the new season. After finishing sixth in the opening race in Australia, the four-time world champion retired from the Chinese Grand Prix. The two results are the worst consecutive finishes for Verstappen since 2021.

The frustration, of course, coincides with the introduction of new regulations, of which Verstappen has been among the most publicly critical of. He’s dubbed the style of racing “Formula E on steroids” or like “playing Mario Kart,” both comments being in a derogatory sense. He’s consistently said he’s not having fun driving the car—and that he would still echo the same tune if he were closer to the front of the pack or winning races.

The reality right now is that Red Bull has, at best, the fourth-fastest car on the grid. Through two races, the team is tied for fifth in the constructors’ standings, behind Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and even Haas. Red Bull is also tied with sister team Racing Bulls—a tremendous shock and an ominous sign of how what’s to come for both outfits as the year goes along.

If the start of the season is any indication about the trajectory of 2026 for Verstappen, this will certainly not be the last time he has to answer a difficult question.

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