'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABiAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQgQAAICAgMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAEDBRECBAASIRQjAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACBhEAAQQCAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgEDBBEFUQAiEhNh/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDBsDC6UxAzrtxjh8LkDWxX1r9GdWd7F1R8rlpsJHajc9cudacjgaUoi8TXhI444nZ0mK20jJoPld9RW6Edp95c4bA4nKuzSmR/arbiIPchqyLSprn/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
2016 world champion Nico Rosberg was a member of Sky Sports F1's coverage at the Jeddah Corniche track.
During their post-race broadcast, he said that Max Verstappen had missed a team meeting after a surprise Q2 departure when a failure with his RB19's driveshaft meant he would not compete for pole.
Nico Rosberg's comments during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix have apparently irritated Max Verstappen and his team. These remarks came shortly after a video emerged from the post-race drivers' conference in which Verstappen expressed his frustration with the fact that he had to deal with reliability difficulties throughout the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend.
Rosberg said to Sky Sports F1 during the live broadcast:
"It’s not good to see that really, yesterday [Saturday] he left the track very quickly and skipped the team meeting apparently, that’s what we’ve been told, and I think that’s not a good approach, not a good mentality this early in the season."
Rosberg added:
“And when the team has done such a brilliant job with that car, and is working so hard and everything, he could be a little bit more gracious maybe, I would say.”
Max Verstappen, on the other hand, was known to be ill in the days leading up to the race. He skipped media and track responsibilities on Thursday to recover from a stomach virus and was certified fit for the race weekend.
According to Sport1, there is 'anger' directed towards Rosberg for bringing the first rumor to the attention of the larger F1 public. The report stated:
“This shows how far away Rosberg is from reality. Luckily, Sky also has Ralf Schumacher in the team, who set the record straight straightaway.”
Red Bull are also said to have played a role in ensuring Verstappen was race fit for Sunday by enabling him to leave the circuit early following his Q2 exit. During Sunday's race, he finished second on the podium in P2.
Max Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen creates controversy after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
During his F1 career, Jos Verstappen was known as a combative personality who stood for no nonsense. Following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, live television coverage appeared to show Max Verstappen's father, Jos, completely blanking Sergio Perez after he won his first race of the season.
Away from the live globe stream, however, there was unbroadcast footage of Jos Verstappen patting Perez on the back and congratulating him on his triumph.
Max Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez are separated by just one point coming into round three in Australia.
