FORMULA ONE: ABU DHABI GP
MAX VERSTAPPEN insists Esteban Ocon got off lightly in their bust-up in Brazil.
The 21-year-old Red Bull driver shoved Ocon in the chest three times after the crash at Interlagos which almost certainly cost Verstappen victory.
The Dutchman was sentenced to two days of community service by Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, following the televised incident.
But the Dutchman, who appeared alongside Ocon during a frosty press conference ahead of Sunday’s seasonconcluding race in Abu Dhabi, said he had no regrets over their clash.
Emotion
Verstappen said: “We are all emotional and at the time I had lost a victory, so I think from my side I was really calm.
“It could have been much worse. What do you expect me to do? Shake his hand and say, ‘Thank you very much for making me second instead of first’. I think it is a normal response.”
Verstappen claimed Force India driver Ocon, who is without a drive next year, provoked him after refusing to apologise for the incident.
Ocon was running in 16th and attempted to unlap himself when he collided with Verstappen.
The Red Bull driver was on course to win but finished second behind Lewis Hamilton. Ocon was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty.