Sky F1 reporter reveals tense Max Verstappen conversation after interview boycott

Sky F1 reporter Ted Kravitz has offered an insight into Max Verstappen's boycott of the broadcaster during a grand prix weekend three years ago.

Verstappen enjoyed a highly successful 2022 campaign and cruised to his second world championship.

It was a more relaxed route compared to his journey the season prior, when he was involved in a fierce battle with Lewis Hamilton for the title - one that ended in controversy at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when a last-lap safety car restart saw Verstappen overtake Hamilton for the championship.

During a post-session segment on Sky F1 during the 2022 season, Kravitz commented that Hamilton had been “robbed” of the title the year before.

It prompted Verstappen to initiate a boycott of the broadcaster for the Mexico City Grand Prix, but Kravitz insisted there was a misunderstanding from Red Bull over the words he used.

“I think I’d expressed a commonly held viewpoint in F1 that Lewis Hamilton had been robbed of an eighth world championship in Abu Dhabi,” Kravitz told The Telegraph. 

“That was not a rogue view at the time. I think the misunderstanding was that elements within Red Bull felt that I was saying that they had done something wrong, which of course they did nothing wrong. 

“It was the easiest strategic call of the season for them to pit under the safety car. They lost nothing, it was a free stop. Max drove brilliantly, won the race on fresh tyres and deserved the championship.

“I didn’t really understand where it had come from, because at no point did I say that it was anything that Red Bull had done.”

Max Verstappen wanted to 'protect family' from abuse

At the time, Verstappen stated his boycott did not relate to a singular incident, stressing he felt he was being “disrespected” by the broadcaster all throughout the year.

“It had nothing to do this weekend,” Verstappen said.

"But this year it's been a constant, kind of like daily being disrespectful, especially one particular person. And it's enough, I don't accept it.

"You keep disrespecting me, and at one point, I'm not tolerating it anymore. That's why I decided to stop answering them."

The boycott ended at the following race in Sao Paulo. Kravitz revealed he sat down with Verstappen and Red Bull and both sides outlined their perspectives.

“Max referred to this stuff on social media, and he says: ‘Look, I don’t care. People say terrible things about me all the time,” Kravitz outlined. 

“I’m doing my job and you’re doing your job. It’s not us that care, it’s the people around me that care. 

“So then if you say or people misinterpret that you say that you think I stole a championship off Lewis – even if you didn’t say that, people think that’s what you said. 

“You’re a voice in F1, and then my mum on social media gets abuse or my sister, or Kelly, my partner. It’s them I’m looking to protect.’

“I said, Max, I absolutely get it and it’s horrible and regretful and I’m sorry that it gets to these points. 

“But these things get clipped up, it all gets blown up out [of proportion] and then we get to this point. So then we understood each other completely.”