F1 2026: FIA 'confront Red Bull' over Max Verstappen kicking out British journalist

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FIA 'confront Red Bull' over Max Verstappen kicking out British journalist

Could Verstappen still be punished for his Japanese GP media meltdown?

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 15 April 2026 22:15

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The FIA have reportedly been in touch with Red Bull after star driver Max Verstappen kicked a British journalist out of a media session at the Japanese GP.

The four-time champion's actions caused uproar among the media, with F1's governing body urged by many journalists from across the globe to take action.

During a Red Bull media briefing at Suzuka, Verstappen refused to speak until The Guardian sports writer Giles Richards had left the room.

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The Dutch F1 star was clearly still clinging onto a past disagreement between the pair that unravelled at last year's season-ending Abu Dhabi GP, when Richards suggested that Verstappen had lost out on the title because of his controversial on-track incident with George Russell at last year's Spanish GP. An incident that many felt Verstappen had caused on purpose.

At the time, Verstappen made it clear he did not agree with Richards' narrative, and when the pair were reunited ahead of the Japanese GP, the 28-year-old reportedly said: "I won't begin until he's gone."

After an exchange in which the journalist established the cause of Verstappen's anger, the Red Bull star then moved to end the conversation, telling Richards: "Get out".

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Verstappen media incident 'prompts FIA confrontation'

The incident did not occur in an FIA press conference but nevertheless, some journalists and media professionals have called on the governing body to take action.

Now, reports have emerged that the FIA is understood to have told Red Bull Racing that F1 journalists are far from happy with how the incident between Verstappen and the British journalist was handled, something which is believed to have led to the governing body confronting the energy drink giants on the matter.

A recent report from GPblog stated: "After the incident between Verstappen and the journalist, the matter was discussed within the F1 Media Advisory Council, which includes several leading Formula 1 reporters.

"Together with the journalist concerned, there was then a meeting with the FIA, which in turn was said to have conveyed concerns about what happened to Red Bull Racing."

The above publication also reported that Verstappen is not believed to have held a meeting with the journalist, nor does he intend to.

GPFans have contacted the FIA for comment.

What did Verstappen say about kicking British journalist out?

Verstappen's decision to have Richards removed from the media briefing last month caused an uproar among the paddock, with the F1 champion explaining his reasoning for doing so in a separate interview with Dutch media later that weekend.

"That particular question I think I've answered like 20 times with different people," Verstappen said after Japanese GP qualifying.

"So it wasn't about the question, I always explained it very well about the thought process and what happened back then but after the final race when you ask that question and you start laughing in my face while asking the question and it's clearly done with bad intent to ask the question at that point, it shows a massive lack of respect.

"For me when you're not respectful towards me then I don't need to be respectful towards you. I think that's how it works, life, it's very straightforward, very simple and that's why I did that.

"For me it's not correct, I have a lot of respect for everyone, and I get asked a lot of questions, stupid questions as well but I answer them. That's fine. It's not always that the question is great or whatever but that's part of Formula 1.

"In this particular case, it was clearly done with bad intent and of course at that time in Abu Dhabi, the camera is pointed in my face, so you don't see what is behind the camera and how people ask questions, and for me it was very clear that it was done in a very disrespectful way."

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen FIA Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka