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Former F1 driver-turned-Sky Sports TV commentator Martin Brundle has come out in support of his fellow colleague Ted Kravitz in the midst of the Red Bull boycott drama.
Kravitz had earlier made a series of comments on the results of the infamous 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP. He hinted that Red Bull and Max Verstappen robbed Lewis Hamilton of an eighth world championship and questioned the integrity of the Dutchman's first championship. Following his comments, Verstappen and his team refused to attend any Sky Sports interviews in last weekend's 2022 F1 Mexican GP.
Brundle has now tweeted out his full support to his fellow Sky Sports colleague and urged Red Bull to talk and sort things out with the reporter. His tweet read:
"For the avoidance of doubt my friend and colleague for the past 26 years @tedkravitz has my full support. Face to face dialogue is the only way to sort out issues and disputes in the relentless crucible of the F1 paddock. We all have opinions and different jobs to do, that’s life"
The incident that sparked the controversy took place during the lead up to the 2022 F1 Mexican GP. Ted Kravitz was reporting from the pitlane and commented on the performances of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, saying:
"Hamilton doesn't win a race all year, and then finally comes back at a track where he could win the first race all year, battling the same guy who won the race he was robbed in the previous year, and manages to finish ahead of him."
The Briton continued on, talking about how Red Bull had a better car because of Adrian Newey and his designs. He said:
"What a script and a story that would have been. But that's not the way the script turned out today, was it? Because the guy that beat him after being robbed actually overtook him, because he's got a quicker car, because of engineering and Formula 1 and design, and pretty much because of [Adrian Newey, Red Bull's Chief Technical Officer] over there."
Max Verstappen unhappy with F1 pundits after comments continued throughout the year
Max Verstappen, no longer tolerating such comments, decided to boycott Sky Sports and Red Bull followed suit. They refused to give interviews to the media outlet and went on to refuse to speak to the different language outlets of the company like Sky Germany and Sky Italia.
Verstappen explained via RacingNews365 that his boycott was not only due to the comments made during this Grand Prix but throughout the year. He talked about respect and how Ted Kravitz especially refuses to acknowledge the Dutch driver and his accomplishments. Verstappen explained that he would no longer tolerate such comments and would continue to boycott Sky Sports.
