Martin Brundle has said he was “uncomfortable” with Max Verstappen’s explosive comments on his Red Bull team radio during Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen lost his cool throughout the 70-lap race in Budapest, repeatedly insulting his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and calling the team’s strategy “shit” as he sought to catch the McLarens in front.
After a late-race collision with Lewis Hamilton, the Dutchman finished fifth and said after the race that those who criticised his driving “can all go fuck themselves”.
Sky F1 and former Grand Prix driver Brundle said Sky Sports News Thursday: “It was quite disappointing what was happening on the radio in Budapest.
“What he doesn’t have anymore is a totally dominant car, so the ground rules have changed in that respect.
“I was really disappointed. This is a team that has given him all the podiums and all the victories, three world championship titles and it’s not over yet. I don’t know why he was so disrespectful to them.”
“They didn’t have a very good day, Red Bull, but they had a lot of incredible days for him.
“The best way to deal with it is to get out of it on the day. But that’s not how Max is wired, he’s got a pretty short fuse as we know. And then they’ll slam the door and tear each other apart, that’s how others have dealt with it in the past.
“I was really uncomfortable with the way he was denigrating the team and its engineer Gianpiero Lambiase on the radio.”
Brundle’s Sky colleague Naomi Schiff was also critical of Verstappen after the Hungaroring race.
Despite his frustrations of the past week, Verstappen still has a 76-point lead in the world championship over Lando Norris heading into this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, the final race before the summer shutdown.