Verstappen jokes about Raikkonen controversy

Max Verstappen says he is not fazed by the furore surrounding his recent on-track battle with Kimi Raikkonen in Hungary.

Although the FIA didn’t penalise him, F1 veteran Raikkonen complained vociferously about the Dutch teenager having moved in the braking zone.

"Kimi doesn’t say much but when he does, he usually has a point," world champion Lewis Hamilton said at Hockenheim.

Most of the rest of the grid agrees too.

"I think all of the drivers are against what Max did," Verstappen’s former Toro Rosso teammate Carlos Sainz is quoted by the Spanish sports daily Marca.

"Because we say that doesn’t mean we’ve never done it or been tempted but I think it shouldn’t be allowed because it’s very dangerous," he added.

18-year-old Verstappen, however, says he hasn’t talked the incident over with the Ferrari driver.

"No, it was not necessary," he told Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspaper at Hockenheim.

But when told about the widespread criticism by his racing colleagues, Verstappen added: "The stewards had all the information and did nothing. So everything was ok.

"Also, I have to say that we’re racing in formula one, not doing some sort of Sunday drive where you say ’Oh you’re faster so I’ll let you pass’."

So when asked if a gesture to Raikkonen was necessary, Verstappen joked to the Finnish broadcaster MTV: "Maybe I’ll buy him an ice cream. We can have an ice cream together.

"I think he likes them, and so do I."

Finally, Verstappen was asked why his famous father Jos is now only rarely seen at grands prix.

Max answered: "My career seems to be in the right direction, so I think he has done his main job in bringing me to F1.

"He also has a family and a home and at some point I have to go my own way."