F1 champion Max Verstappen was a total savage in blunt two-word response to reporter at Chinese Grand Prix

Max Verstappen, generic, Chinese GP, Red Bull, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

Chinese Grand Prix

Max Verstappen was a total savage in blunt two-word response to F1 reporter at Chinese Grand Prix

This weekend is the first sprint race of the year

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 12 March 2026 21:57

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Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen issued a brutal response to a reporter during the Chinese Grand Prix press conference.

F1 has headed to China this week for the second round of the 2026 season, with Verstappen hoping to bounce back from an error at the season-opening Australian GP which meant he could only finish sixth.

Verstappen crashed out in Q1 in Australia, meaning he had to start the race from down in 20th, and recovered well to claim sixth in his RB22.

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This weekend's Chinese GP is also the first sprint weekend of the season, meaning that there are 33 points on offer, perfect for Verstappen who already finds himself 17 points behind early championship leader George Russell after just one race.

But Verstappen didn't seem to see it like that during Thursday's press conference at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Verstappen was asked by a reporter whether it was good to have a sprint race weekend so early in the season, and the Dutchman opted for a brutal two-word response to the question.

"Yeah whatever," the four-time world champion said, clearly not impressed with the question.

There was some laughter from the press pack but the entire moment was extremely awkward, and probably one the four-time world champion could have handled with a bit more care.

What is a sprint race weekend?

Alongside the 24 grands prix in 2026, F1 also has six sprint races, for which a maximum of eight points are available to the winner.

During a sprint weekend, two practice sessions are replaced by two competitive sessions; sprint qualifying and the sprint race itself.

This means that there is only one hour of practice available to teams and drivers during sprint race weekends, before they jump straight into sprint qualifying later on the Friday.

The sprint race then takes place early on the Saturday, before attentions switch to the main race via grand prix qualifying later on the Saturday, and then the grand prix on the Sunday.

In 2026, China, Miami, Canada, Silverstone, Zandvoort and Singapore are the six hosts of the sprint races.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Chinese Grand Prix