Max Verstappen could not resist poking a bit of fun at F1 rival Lando Norris and the FIA - although he was also trolled in return.
The three-time F1 champion was competing in a 23-hour endurance sim event for a good cause, ‘The Race for Mental Health’, organised by Jimmy Broadbent.
As part of Team Redline, and sporting the number '1', the livery on Verstappen's car, designed by fans, naturally caught the eye.
On the bonnet, there was an image of Norris running wide at Turn 1 at Interlagos from his moment during the recent Brazilian Grand Prix that cost him a higher placing, with the words 'Think Different'. You can check it out below.
Whilst on the side of the car there was a graphic that had the FIA logo, and alongside it the words 'Max Verstappen +10 seconds'. In addition, there was also an image of George Russell alongside that of the main Toy Story character Woody.
Verstappen, however, was also the subject of fun as fans watching the event could not resist a joke at his expense. To interact, the viewers had to make donations to the charity. They even had the opportunity to dish out penalties, like the FIA stewards.
One fan, posing as the FIA, donated £100 in return for a 'Stop and go penalty for car #1'.
Worse followed for Verstappen, drawing on his unhappy experience ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix where he was handed a community service punishment for using the f-word during an official FIA press conference.
A message read: “Max, you used language that was coarse and offensive for broadcast, so it’s another stop-and-go for car 1. Community service is next – we’re watching."
Joining in on the fun, Verstappen amusingly retorted: "Why am I being singled out?"
In another exchange, the quick-witted Verstappen tried to escape a penalty as he felt the rules had been incorrectly applied, citing the fact his car was number 1 and not 01, so "whoever did that can p**s off!"
Overall, the sixth edition of the charity event served its purpose as it set a new record for monies raised of £95,375, just over £10,000 more than its target.
A delighted Broadbent said: "This race is near and dear to me. I (like many others) have suffered with my own mental health issues and found charities like Mind to be invaluable.
"My proudest achievement to date is that our community has raised nearly £300k for this cause…it’s hard to overstate just how much of a difference that makes."
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