Verstappen & Ocon Involved In Physical Altercation After Brazilian GP Collision

Verstappen told Sky Sports he has done nothing wrong, on or off the track, branding Ocon “stupid”.

“Of course I have the right to overtake him,” he said.

“The amount of risk he was taking, I don’t think it was correct.

“You don’t expect that the backmarker is taking you out.”

Asked about the physical confrontation of Ocon, he said: “We’re all passionate about the sport. It would be odd if I would be shaking his hand.

“I don’t care what those people say [who think he went too far]. I’m a winner. To get taken out like that and then to get a stupid response from his side as well, I was not happy about that.”

Ocon branded Verstappen “violent” and “not professional”.

“What I am really surprised about is the behaviour of Max coming into the scales,” he told TV reporters afterwards.

“The FIA having to stop him from being violent, pushing me and wanted me to punch me – and that is not professional.

“Just after the race, there is emotion, I can understand that, but you can speak, you don’t need to come with hands basically.

“The fights have to happen on-track. We are sportsmen, we represent a lot of young kids, a lot of people in front of TV. If that was filmed today, it would be massive news. For me that is not right.”

Ocon said he had history with Verstappen from their days as F3 rivals and he was not planning to speak through the incident with him.

“I am used to the fights with Max. It has been the same. It goes back a few years, so no,” he said.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said his driver was within his rights to be furious at Ocon.

“I think Max has been pretty restrained,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.

“It’s cost him a grand prix victory. He’s driven his heart out with a damaged car.

“Esteban was lucky to get away with a push, to be honest with you. Emotions are running high.

“I told him ‘just get yourself under control’ on the cool-down lap because he’s lost a victory through no fault of his own today and it’s hugely frustrating for him and for the team.

“We’d done everything right, we had Mercedes on the ropes, we’d passed Ferrari. Hugely frustrating for everybody to lose a victory through a backmarker.”

Horner said Ocon, as a backmarker, had absolutely no right trying to race Verstappen.

“It’s clear that as a lapped car you shouldn’t interfere with the leader,” Horner said.

“What on earth Ocon was thinking about there just beggars belief.

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“They’re quick on the straight, we know that. But why on earth is he racing the leader? He’s a lap down. He doesn’t have the pace.

“He’s chucked the car up the inside there. It just makes absolutely no sense at all.”

Mercedes was again the big winner in Brazil, sealing the constructor’s championship to go with Hamilton’s driver’s world title.

See the confrontation below