Max Verstappen has issued a statement apologising for any offence Brazil may have felt from comments he made during the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Following the weekend’s qualifying session, Verstappen spoke of his discontent with the result and accused Felipe Massa of negatively affecting his preparations coming into the final lap.
When speaking to the media afterwards, in response to being asked if he would be talking to Massa about the situation, the Red Bull Racing driver said, “Well he’s a Brazilian – so there’s not much to discuss.”
This remark caused a lot of upset in Brazil and prompted Massa to have words with Verstappen prior to the race on Sunday.
Now Verstappen has issued the following statement, expressing his apologies and explaining that the misjudged comment was not intended to cause upset.
“I feel like I need to clarify my remarks that were made after this weekends qualifying session,” he said on his Instagram. “Being a passionate racer, I was very disappointed with my last stint and gave an emotional reaction that was taken out of context.
“By no means did I mean to insult the Brazilian people who I greatly respect and are always very nice to me when I visit the country.
“One of the highlights of my career was last years Brazilian GP and it was extra special to do this in the country that brought us legendary drivers such as Senna, Fittipaldi and Piquet.
“I would like to apologize to any Brazilians that feel offended and look forward to racing in your country again.”
