Verstappen plays down Lance Stroll insults

Max Verstappen has played down the reaction to his radio insults following a crash with Lance Stroll during Friday practice in Portimao.

The Dutchman let off an expletive-filled denunciation of the Racing Point driver, but what attracted the most negative attention was his choice of politically-incorrect insults.

For instance, Verstappen called Canadian Stroll a "retard" and a "mongol".

"Why isn’t Verstappen given a penalty for insulting behaviour?" one Twitter user wondered.

But when asked about those who may be upset about his language, the 23-year-old suggested the onus was on those who decided to broadcast it publicly.

"That’s not my problem," Verstappen insisted.

"Such things happen in the heat of battle," he added. "I was just angry at the time, which is why I called him that.

"Afterwards I spoke with Lance and everything is fine between us."