Verstappen apologises for Brazil comments

Max Verstappen has apologised to Brazilians following comments he made in Bahrain last weekend.

After alleging he was held up in qualifying, the Dutch teenager said he would not be speaking to Felipe Massa because "He is Brazilian, so there is not much to talk about".

But when he heard about Verstappen’s comments, Massa said he spoke to the 19-year-old.

"I told him ’Be careful with what you say, because you still need to go to Brazil to race there," the Brazilian told UOL Esporte.

Amid the ensuing controversy, Verstappen has now apologised for causing any offense with his "emotional reaction".

"I feel like I need to clarify my remarks that were made after this weekends qualifying session. 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 year’s 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" said the Red Bull driver.