Sky F1 reporter reveals tense Max Verstappen conversation after interview boycott

Sky F1 reporter Ted Kravitz has offered an insight into Max
Verstappen's boycott of the broadcaster during a grand prix weekend
three years ago. Verstappen enjoyed a highly successful 2022
campaign and cruised to his second world championship. It was a
more relaxed route compared to his journey the season prior, when
he was involved in a fierce battle with Lewis Hamilton for the
title – one that ended in controversy at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
when a last-lap safety car restart saw Verstappen overtake Hamilton
for the championship. During a post-session segment on Sky F1
during the 2022 season, Kravitz commented that Hamilton had been
“robbed” of the title the year before. It prompted Verstappen to
initiate a boycott of the broadcaster for the Mexico City Grand
Prix, but Kravitz insisted there was a misunderstanding from Red
Bull over the words he used. “I think I’d expressed a commonly held
viewpoint in F1 that Lewis Hamilton had been robbed of an eighth
world championship in Abu Dhabi,” Kravitz told The Telegraph . 
“That was not a rogue view at the time. I think the
misunderstanding was that elements within Red Bull felt that I was
saying that they had done something wrong, which of course they did
nothing wrong.  “It was the easiest strategic call of the season
for them to pit under the safety car. They lost nothing, it was a
free stop. Max drove brilliantly, won the race on fresh tyres and
deserved the championship. “I didn’t really understand where it had
come from, because at no point did I say that it was anything that
Red Bull had done.” Max Verstappen wanted to 'protect family' from
abuse At the time, Verstappen stated his boycott did not relate to
a singular incident, stressing he felt he was being “disrespected”
by the broadcaster all throughout the year. “It had nothing to do
this weekend,” Verstappen said. "But this year it's been a
constant, kind of like daily being disrespectful, especially one
particular person. And it's enough, I don't accept it. "You keep
disrespecting me, and at one point, I'm not tolerating it anymore.
That's why I decided to stop answering them." The boycott ended at
the following race in Sao Paulo. Kravitz revealed he sat down with
Verstappen and Red Bull and both sides outlined their perspectives.
“Max referred to this stuff on social media, and he says: ‘Look, I
don’t care. People say terrible things about me all the time,”
Kravitz outlined.  “I’m doing my job and you’re doing your job.
It’s not us that care, it’s the people around me that care.  “So
then if you say or people misinterpret that you say that you think
I stole a championship off Lewis – even if you didn’t say that,
people think that’s what you said.  “You’re a voice in F1, and then
my mum on social media gets abuse or my sister, or Kelly, my
partner. It’s them I’m looking to protect.’ “I said, Max, I
absolutely get it and it’s horrible and regretful and I’m sorry
that it gets to these points.  “But these things get clipped up, it
all gets blown up out [of proportion] and then we get to this
point. So then we understood each other completely.”