“There was no champagne, wouldn‘t have been fun”– Max Verstappen on leaving the podium too quickly and not celebrating at Jeddah circuit

Max Verstappen finishes second in Jeddah with a five-second penalty and more to come after a highly controversial race.

Lewis Hamilton won the chaotic race and tied up the championship points with his rival Max Verstappen before the final race.

The 50 laps of the inaugural Jeddah circuit included red flags, multiple crashes and a controversial collision between the championship rivals. Hamilton and Verstappen clashed wheel-to-wheel after two of the three-race starts.

They made contact when Verstappen slowed down to try and give Hamilton the lead as instructed. Meanwhile, Hamilton run into the back of Verstappen’s car for which the latter faced a five-second penalty. Verstappen says he did not understand what his rival was doing.

The big talking point from Jeddah 😱#SaudiArabianGP 🇸🇦 #F1 pic.twitter.com/bkWWqlcbyO

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 5, 2021

In the post-race interview, Verstappen said, “I’m just trying to race and this sport lately is more about penalties than racing. For me, this is not Formula 1.”

On why he left the podium too quickly, the Dutchman said, “There was no champagne. Wouldn‘t have been fun.”

Also Read: Max Verstappen shares his frustration over being awarded a five second penalty

Max Verstappen is “dangerous” and “crazy”

Verstappen was already handed over the five-second penalty for leaving the track to gain an advantage over Lewis Hamilton.

Moreover, after the collision on lap 38, the 24-year-old has been called to the stewards over that incident. Hamilton has been summoned as well.

Hamilton called Verstappen “dangerous” and “crazy” during the race while claiming that he was “brake tested” by the young driver. The collision damaged Hamilton’s front wing but he still came out on the top.

After surrendering the lead permanently and finishing in second place behind Hamilton, Verstappen was voted F1’s ‘Driver of the Day.’ To which, the Dutch driver said, “luckily the fans have a clear mind about racing because what happened today is unbelievable.”

“But at least the fans enjoyed it and I gave it all today, but clearly not quick enough. But still happy with second,” he further added.

Also Read: Christian Horner is infuriated by FIA’s decision to not penalise Lewis Hamilton