Verstappen’s animus stemmed from a question asked by Richards at the end of last season, in which he had pointed out that the points lost because of the Red Bull driver’s decision to drive into George Russell in Barcelona could have been the difference between winning a fifth title and finishing – as was actually the case – two points back from Lando Norris.
In response to the controversial moment, some fans have resurfaced the words of his former Red Bull ally Adrian Newey about the ‘British media funnel’, which the designer previously hinted may have an impact on how the four-time champion is covered.
Speaking on Jake Humphrey’s High Performance Podcast in 2024, Newey said: “I think Max is his own man. He’s incredibly mature and rounded and philosophical. I think, from the outside, I’m not sure people fully appreciate and understand Max, just like they didn’t with Sebastian [Vettel].
“First of all, there’s this sort of demonisation both of them suffered at times, which is very unfair, and maybe that’s also a little bit of the British media funnel. This guy has a huge influence around the world.
“Their viewing figures, or their viewing isn’t truly international, but their coverage is quite nationalistic, and that can have an influence. It’s this thing that now with the journalism, typically but there is that trend to sort of either put people on a pedestal or knock them down.”
