“Get out!” » Max Verstappen refused to start the conference until the Guardian reporter came out!
Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Thursday, March 26, 2026, 10:55 / Updated Thursday, March 26, 2026 10:55
On Thursday, the day before the first free practice session at Suzuka, in anticipation of the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen (28 years old) refused to start the press conference until the representative of the Guardian newspaper, Giles Richards, left the room!
This morning, at Red Bull headquarters in Suzuka, Max Verstappen was preparing to preface the race in Japan with the media representatives.
In the end, more than the statements of the Red Bull driver, it came to be discussed about what he did before the actual conference.
Max Verstappen refused to start the conference until the Guardian reporter came out
The multiple world champion refused to start the conference until the Guardian reporter had left the room. “I don't talk until he leaves,” ESPN writes that the Dutchman said, who also addressed the reporter personally, telling him to “get out.”
Full dialogue:
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Verstappen: “One second. I'm not talking until he leaves.”
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Reporter: “Really?”
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Verstappen: “Yes”
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Reporter: “Because of last year's question?”
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Verstappen: “Yes”
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Reporter: “Do you want me to go?”
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Verstappen: “Yes”
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Reporter: “Only because of the question I asked you in Abu Dhabi”
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Verstappen: “Yes”
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Reporter: “About the reason why…”
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Verstappen: “Yes”
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Reporter: “About what happened in Spain”
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Verstappen: “Get out”
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Reporter: “Are you really that, that mad about it?“
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Verstappen: “Get out. Yes. Get out”
After the reporter left the room, Verstappen said “now we can start”.
What the reporter asked him in December 2025
Verstappen's anger stems from a conversation he had with the reporter four months ago, after Verstappen lost the world title by just two points.
The Guardian's representative had asked him: “Max, you lost to Lando by only two points. What do you say now about the George Russell incident in Spain? Looking back, do you regret that episode?“.
“You forget all the other things that happened to me this season. The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew it would get here. Now you're grinning stupidly.
After all, it's part of racing. You live and learn. The championship has 24 stages. Besides, we got a lot of 'early Christmas presents' in the second half, so you can question that too,” replied Verstappen.
In the 2025 Barcelona Grand Prix, Verstappen finished 10th after colliding with George Russell following which many believed to have been a collision deliberately produced by the Dutchman.
