Verstappen blasts 'shitty' Albon, Gasly question

Max Verstappen took umbrage with line of questioning during the press conference ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, when asked whether being his team-mate could damage a driver’s career, branding it “shitty”.

Last week, Red Bull announced that Pierre Gasly would be being replaced by Alexander Albon for the rest of the 2019 season, with the former heading back to Toro Rosso.

Gasly has struggled since making the step up to the team, and has been continuously outperformed by Verstappen despite having the same car - a fact which many believe played a part in his demotion.

At the drivers’ press conference on Thursday, the Dutchman was asked: “Max, can you imagine other drivers being nervous at being your team-mate as it can damage their careers?”

Verstappen immediately sighed at the question, before saying: “Well, I don’t know. Everyone always tries to do the best they can. I don’t know what to answer.

“It’s a bit shitty.”

VIDEO: How Albon learned of Red Bull promotionRead more

When asked to respond to the news that Albon would be his new team-mate and whether things would be tougher up against him compared to Gasly, he was democratic in his response.

“I’ve been there before myself,” he said.

“I guess time will tell. Alex is a great guy, I’ve known him already for a long time

"Its a bit difficult to say at the moment,” he responded when asked if Albon will be a more difficult opponent.

“I rate Alex very high but I also rated Pierre very high, so we’ll find out.

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