Max Verstappen urged to gain F1 media experience after shock journalist ejection

1996 Formula 1 champion Damon Hill has urged Max Verstappen to gain experience working with the media in the sport, believing it will help him deal with journalists more effectively going forward.

Hill’s view follows Verstappen’s shock incident on media day ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, when he ejected The Guardian journalist Giles Richards from his session.

Verstappen kicked Richards out of the media session for a question asked about last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the Dutchman lost the drivers’ title to Lando Norris by two points.

In Suzuka, the four-time world champion refused to answer any questions until Richards had left, before conducting his media session as usual once he had departed.

Since retiring from F1, Hill has worked for various broadcasters, most notably a long stint with Sky F1 in the United Kingdom, before leaving at the end of 2024.

The Briton wishes he had worked in the media before entering the pinnacle of motorsport as a driver, due to the insight gained on what it is really like for a journalist covering F1.

He believes this is an experience not only Verstappen but all current drivers should gain, confident it would make dealing with the media much easier.

"I genuinely mean this: I wish I'd done Sky before I'd gone in F1 just because of the perspective," Hill told The Race.

"We're talking after Max ejected a journalist from a press conference here, and I think, with the benefits of the insight that you get from what it's like to be reporting this sport, he would be better placed to be able to deal with some things if he had done it [worked in the media] too. I think they all would.

"But of course, you can't expect them to do that. It took me a long time to get to understand that this is a very, very important part of the job as a driver.

"It is understanding the consequences of failing, the consequences of the pressure and being in the spotlight, and knowing how the things you say will help or hinder you achieving your goals.

"At first, doing Sky, I was very reluctant to be critical of drivers. I didn't want to be the person that put the pressure on. But then it is an adult world, and ultimately they have to be able to cope with the truth."