Sky Sports were forced to apologise following an incident in the cooldown room following the Austrian Grand Prix. David Croft was quick to show contrition after Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli dropped an expletive following Sunday’s race.
Verstappen and Antonelli saw a tense finale as the Dutchman defended his spot on the podium, and the pair were first into the cooldown room. While they waited for Russell to join them, they took in some of the race’s highlights on a television in the room.
And Antonelli could not show any restraint when footage of the battle between the duo was shown on screen. “F*** that was close,” the 19-year-old exclaimed.
Croft was soon apologising following the segment. “Not one but two Mercedes drivers in need of a lot of water there,” he said.
“Apologies for any language that you heard that you might have been offended by.”
The cooldown room offered some more poignant exchanges as Verstappen commented on the improvement he found on race day compared to previous races. “The race pace for sure was better than what we have shown so far,” he told Antonelli.
He also added that the temperatures this weekend ensured his drink tasted like “a tea”. Mercedes drivers Antonelli and Russell noted that their drinks system did not work.
The trio were also surprised by the lack of straight-line speed from the Ferrari cars. Following the race, Hamilton pointed to issues with the tyres.
“With George, I was holding on for a second, and then the rears just dropped off on every set,” he said. “For some reason, the balance was very off. Very difficult.
“On Friday, we were down six-tenths on just straight line speed and I need to go see what the case was today, but I’m sure it was not insignificant. And then, grip-wise, we just couldn’t keep up with everyone today. So it was a tough one, but I’m grateful for the points. The team did a great job on the strategy and with the pit stops”
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, meanwhile, was pleased to see the level of competitiveness that Verstappen was able to offer. He believes that the team had enough in their locker to secure a win for the first time this term.
“The most satisfying element was the pace. For the first time this season we have enough to win so a big credit to everyone back in Milton Keynes,” he said.
“We know we need more as our competition will continue to bring updates but we are now within the last tenths needed to be on top of the podium. It is a move in the right direction.
“I think it is fair to say Kimi Antonelli was the fastest guy out there and perhaps Max Verstappen was a little faster than George Russell. Starting positions do matter.”