All was going well for Max Verstappen and Red Bull until the driver decided to go against the team’s orders and invited criticism. At this point, it seems that the Milton Keynes squad is splitting into two camps: the Sergio Perez camp and the Max Verstappen camp. While the Dutchman received good backing for his actions on Sunday, attention has now turned to his actions on Saturday, which have come under the fans’ radar.

On Saturday, the two-time world champion reportedly left the track after his disqualification from Q2. Nico Rosberg reported during the presentation, Verstappen didn’t attend the team briefing. However, Ralf Schumacher quickly corrected the German, as Verstappen was possibly allowed to leave early due to a stomach bug.

This entire episode of reporting, where Nico called out Verstappen, has come under the Dutchman’s camp’s purview, which according to Sport1 said, “The team asked Verstappen to go to the hotel to relax. It can therefore be heard from the Verstappen camp: This shows how far away Rosberg is from reality.” However, this doesn’t seem to have landed well with the opposition fans, who then called out Max Verstappen and Co. for their aversion to criticism, even if half-baked and incorrect.

Fans call out Max Verstappen and the camp’s sensitivity to criticism

The fans were ruthless in their criticism as they anticipated another boycott, the same as that from last year’s boycott of Sky Sports over the remarks of Ted Kravitz. The driver was also criticized for his poor handling, which came from backhanded comments instead of up-front remarks from himself. 

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The young Dutchman was also compared to the likes of Lewis Hamilton when it comes to handling media. However, the comparison seems rather unfair given the gap in the experience of both drivers.

Maybe the criticism from Nico was unfair, but Max surely needs to speak up for himself and let his side be known as well. He must use better channels and control his own narrative rather than having someone else drive it for him.

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Max Verstappen appears to be the chosen one for Red Bull. The team will continue to back him regardless of his obedience, which is a true sign of their trust in his abilities.