"He might have a point with the media but not with the stewards": Fans react to Max Verstappen's claims of 'having the wrong passport' for F1

F1 fans were left conflicted when Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claimed that he had the 'wrong passport' in the sport. The three-time world champion has faced massive criticism from the pundits in the media after his on-track battle with championship rival Lando Norris at last weekend's Mexican Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver was found guilty by the FIA race stewards on two incidents of pushing Norris off the track and another for gaining an advantage and leaving the track on the same lap in Mexico.

Verstappen was given two separate 10-second penalties during the race, which eventually meant that he finished out of the podium positions. In the aftermath of the incident, he received flak from prominent figures like Damon Hill, Martin Brundle, etc.

Speaking to Dutch media, Max Verstappen spoke about the targeted criticism and pointed out, via Last Word on Sports:

“I know a lot of people are biased, and that I have the wrong passport. I’m very happy with my passport, mind you. But in this paddock, it’s the wrong one. I know how most people are."

“Last year, almost everything went perfectly. It must have hurt a lot of people so much that they couldn’t say anything negative. Now it’s all coming out and they’re going full steam ahead. They’re doing just fine. It doesn’t upset me.”

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to Verstappen's comments on X, with one fan claiming:

"He might have a point with the media but not with the stewards."

"When it comes to the media? Yes. When it comes to the stewarding? No."

"We all know what he means. The media defends some guys because of their Nationality!"

"As a Max fan, I don't like this comment, unless a similar decision comes in upcoming GPs and I lost my shit," said a fan.

"Dude ran lando off the track twice within 3 corners, and blames his passport for the criticism from british journalists," claimed another.

"I mean he isn’t wrong and yes we seen brits get penalized but they barely get touched unlike everyone else," wrote another.

Lewis Hamilton chimes in on Max Verstappen's driving style

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton stated that he believed Verstappen's driving style hadn't changed at all since their legendary tussle in the 2021 season.

As per ESPN, the seven-time world champion pointed out that he had uttered similar things as Lando Norris on radio in 2021, saying:

"All you have to do is just go and look back and listen to some of my radio comments back in the day. I don't think you're seeing much difference across the years from 2021 to now. It's pretty much the same."

Max Verstappen currently leads the title race from Lando Norris by 47 points heading into the final race of the triple-header in Brazil.