Max Verstappen hits out at 'idiot' F1 rival after Qatar GP incident

Verstappen drinking a Red Bull — Photo: © IMAGO

Qatar Grand Prix

Max Verstappen hits out at 'idiot' F1 rival after Qatar GP incident

Max Verstappen was not happy

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 28 November 2025 21:56

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Max Verstappen was furious with one of his F1 rivals at the Qatar Grand Prix, calling them a 'blind idiot'.

The incident happened during the one and only practice session of the weekend, which was crucial for drivers given the fact that it was a sprint weekend, meaning the competitive action started later on Friday.

Thankfully for the drivers and teams, there were no disruptions throughout the hour-long session, but championship challenger Verstappen was involved in a less than ideal scenario.

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Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was caught slowly veering onto the racing line as Verstappen was driving past, causing frustration for the Dutchman.

Verstappen was only on a slow lap, and the incident didn't cause too much impact to his session, but what angered Verstappen was the fact the Gasly was out of the way as they rounded the long right-hander, before then cutting in front of Verstappen onto the racing line.

"Oh my god, who’s this? Blind idiot," Verstappen exclaimed on his team radio.

Due to it just being in practice and not hampering a flying lap for Verstappen, the incident was not referred to FIA stewards, and neither Gasly nor Verstappen will suffer any implications from the incident.

Verstappen's frustrations

Verstappen was not happy for much of Friday's practice session, complaining about his RB21 as has often been the case for the four-time world champion during practice sessions this year.

He complained that his car was 'jumping' before later saying: "Clipping out of Turn 6 is a disaster. Just no pace out of the car."

Verstappen's grumbles continued into sprint qualifying, where he only managed to qualify in sixth, behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

Verstappen is hoping to make the most of the increased amount of points on offer this weekend, as he attempts to overhaul Lando Norris' 24-point lead at the top of the drivers' championship.

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F1 Max Verstappen Pierre Gasly Qatar Grand Prix