Max Verstappen retaliates after awkward F1 Austrian Grand Prix mix-up

Reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen retaliated during an awkward interaction at this week's FIA press conference ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman boasts the most wins at the event, having claimed victory four times in Spielberg... although technically, he's done it five times.

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This is where the confusion played out for FIA press conference host Tom Clarkson during Thursday's media day after he stated to Verstappen that he had only won four times around the Red Bull Ring.

"Is it four? Five," Verstappen immediately questioned, before defiantly confirming to Clarkson that it was indeed five, with the host attempting to move the session on from the awkward start by instead asking: "How confident are you of another one?"

Having achieved so much success in his F1 career so far, Verstappen could have been forgiven for making an error when it came to recalling his fine form at his team's home track.

However, the four-time champion was technically correct with his claim of five wins, given that the F1 calendar had to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Verstappen's impressive Red Bull Ring record

Both those seasons introduced the Styrian GP, or Steiermark GP as it can also be referred to, which meant the stars of the grid took to the Red Bull Ring under a different event name.

In 2021, Verstappen achieved back-to-back victories at the track, claiming the grand prix win at the Styrian GP and the Austrian GP the following week, proving his claim in Thursday's press conference true.

The four-time drivers' title holder is no stranger to tense moments in F1's press conferences, and Austria's media day was no different as Verstappen issued mostly blunt responses to questions, which in fairness, looked to his past rather than his hopes for the future.

Had Clarkson framed his statement to instead declare that the 27-year-old had won four Austrian GP's, he would have been correct, but with Verstappen's heroics in 2021 making him the only driver in the sport to ever win twice at the same trick in a year, in certainly doesn't seem like something the Red Bull star could easily forget!

READ MORE: Verstappen dealt absence blow at Austrian Grand Prix

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