In recent weeks, there has been much discussion about the subjective reporting of the British media towards Max Verstappen. The Dutch champion complained, among other things, that he was subjected to a lot of criticism, purely because he has ‘the wrong passport’. After his victory in São Paulo, Verstappen openly wondered where all the English press had gone. Several key figures from the British media have since spoken out against the Dutchman.
After the São Paulo GP, winner Max Verstappen, along with podium finishers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, appeared in the official FIA press conference. Amid all the interviews with the attending journalists, the Limburger himself also had a pressing question. “Where has all the British press gone?” he asked, laughing. Will Buxton, presenter of F1TV and known from Drive to Survive, explained on social media why all the English media was missing.”It was a bit of a cheeky comment from Verstappen,” Buxton wrote. “If you’re a British journalist, you usually only attend the official press moments if Lewis Hamilton, Norris, or Russell has finished in the top three. Only if something truly controversial has happened, is the press conference more interesting than the unique quotes you can get from the drivers walking around in the paddock. We get a transcript of the FIA meetings afterwards anyway.”
No Prejudices?
David Croft, commentator at Sky Sports, wholeheartedly agreed. He pointed out the fact that there were few people present at the press conference. “There’s more to it,” he wrote on his own account. “You can’t just attack people and claim they have prejudices. I myself never attend these press moments, regardless of who has won.”
Croft further explained that the meetings after the race are only for the written media, and as a race commentator, he has no benefit from these moments. “The quotes from these press conferences are freely available to all media afterwards, so other journalists were probably elsewhere getting a quote at that time, knowing they won’t miss anything that is said at the FIA,” he concluded.”
