Anger justified after Austin penalty - Verstappen

Max Verstappen believes his anger was justified after he was penalized for his overtaking move on Kimi Raikkonen in the United States Grand Prix.

Having cut part of the inside of Turn 17 when overtaking Raikkonen on the final lap of the race, Verstappen was handed a five-second time penalty that demoted him from third to fourth in Austin. Immediately after the race Verstappen criticized "one idiot steward" for the decision and says he shares the same sentiments a few days after the event.

"Well I think after a race the emotions run high, especially when you've been taken off a podium which I think I deserved," Verstappen said. "I think the punishment was not correct because everybody was running off the track in Turn 19, 8 and 9, even in Turn 6 when you were behind someone you were cutting the inside – a lot of cars were doing it.

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"Also the fans I think were loving it, it was a great move and then they tell you that you're gaining an advantage while overtaking someone. If I was really gaining an advantage I would do it every single lap, which you are not, so I don't think it was gaining an advantage. Like I said, a lot of other people did it as well, they were cutting the inside of the corners and then I am the only one who was getting penalized, which I think is of course not correct.

"I think it's quite normal that I got angry. Of course I could have used a few different words but at the end of the day I still think that the decision is not correct."

Pushed on his reaction to the decision, Verstappen insists he was not trying to highlight a specific steward but suggests he wishes he had been less severe with his choice of wording.

"Like I said, I could have used different words, for sure. But like I also said I was angry at that time because I think it was not correct and I've already said all the reasons why I think it was not correct. So you also have to understand a bit my point of it, but of course the words were not correct. I can't change that right now and it was not meant for anyone. I was not trying to offend anyone, otherwise I would have named them by name if I wanted to offend someone."

And Verstappen believes the inside of corners should be lined by deterrents to ensure a similar incident doesn't occur in future.

"It's not self-discipline because I think we know quite well what to do and what not to do, but they never told us anything. Already from lap one in practice 1 everybody was running wide and it was all fine. So then of course if it's not mentioned and they never tell us anything then we try to go as quick as we can. I think it's very simple solution, all put grass or gravel on the inside so that you cannot cut over the curbs. For example in Suzuka I don't think we have those issues, do we?"