“That's just unlucky": Max Verstappen gives his take on the regulations that compromised Daniel Ricciardo's race in Brazil

Max Verstappen claimed that Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri were victims of unfortunate circumstances at the Brazilian GP. Speaking to the media ahead of the 2023 Las Vegas GP, the Red Bull driver stated that the Australian drivers were unlucky.

Verstappen's former Red Bull teammate Ricciardo was vocal about the rules of the sport after the Brazilian race. Ricciardo and fellow Australian Piastri damaged their cars in an incident on the track, due to which they were red-flagged and neither was allowed to continue for another lap. After repairing the cars during the red flags and being allowed to continue, they end up running a lap down, resulting in both finishing at the back of the grid despite the pace.

Asked by Sportskeeda about his opinion of the incident and if the rules needed a change, Max Verstappen said:

“No. I think that’s just unlucky, because if you could have run one more lap with a damaged car, then they would have been fine. And you can’t win in every kind of situation right, you might end up in it and that’s tough luck.”

Empathizing with both the Australian drivers, Max Verstappen felt that there was no need to change the rule. The 26-year-old felt that if they had continued for another lap with their damaged cars, they might have been in a better position after the red flags. However, the damage on both cars was severe and put them in an odd position.

Ricciardo reportedly felt that it could have been more than two cars being caught out in a similar situation and that the rule was unfair. He felt that despite the pace to finish in the top five in Brazil, he lost out on a vital opportunity. His teammate Yuki Tsunoda ended up finishing fifth while he finished thirteenth ahead of his McLaren counterpart Piastri who finished last.

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Max Verstappen is uninterested in the glamor and glitz of the 2023 Las Vegas GP

Max Verstappen claimed that the Las Vegas GP is a spectacle more than a sporting event. The Dutchman was also uninterested in attending the driver’s party at the Wynn. He felt that he was more focused on the performance side of the race and did not like the gimmicks surrounding the event.

Asked to provide a ratio of the sporting side and show side of the Las Vegas race, Max Verstappen said:

“99% show, and 1% sporting event.”

Asked if he was going to the driver party at the Wynn, he asked:

“Which party?”

After being reminded of the event, he replied:

“Zero interest.”

Asked about his feelings about the Las Vegas GP and its show, Max Verstappen said:

“Not a lot of emotions to be honest. I just always want to focus on the performance side of things, I don’t like all the things around it anyway. I know of course in some places that is part of it, but let’s just say it’s not in my interest.”

The reigning champion was steadfast in his opinion about the opening ceremony and the marketing and PR fanfare surrounding the event. Elaborating on the circuit at the Las Vegas GP, Max Verstappen was also unimpressed by the track layout which he claimed was uninteresting.