Coulthard surprised by FIA inaction over Max Verstappen journalist ejection

David Coulthard has expressed his surprise that there were no official repercussions after Max Verstappen ejected a journalist from a media session at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen refused to begin his scheduled pre-event session on the Thursday prior to the Suzuka weekend while a reporter from The Guardian was present.

David Coulthard questions FIA response to Verstappen journalist incident

The tense moment with the reporter was an extension of an exchange the pair had at the F1 2025 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Then, Verstappen was asked whether he regretted his actions at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he collided with George Russell, in a move that arguably cost him nine championship points.

The Dutchman lost the 2025 title to Lando Norris by two points.

Encountering the journalists again in Japan, Verstappen insisted he leave Red Bull’s hospitality suite, where the session was being held, before speaking to the rest of the assembled media.

After that incident, David Coulthard revealed his surprise that no one from the FIA stepped in to make its stance clear.

“Even though he’s absolutely at right, you don’t have to answer the question, it is unusual to ask somebody to leave from that environment,” he said on the Up To Speed podcast.

“I’m actually a little bit surprised the FIA didn’t take a stance on it. I didn’t see anything that there was any sort of reprimand.

“Because basically, if he [Max] was to say the word sh*t in there, he’d get fined.”

It’s understood there has been no formal follow up with Verstappen over the matter as the incident did not take place within an FIA scheduled press conference; though it was a mandatory session, it was hosted by the team.

Verstappen is not the first F1 figure to eject a journalist from a team-organised media call.

At the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, a reporter was told to leave by then-Alpine team boss Oliver Oakes off the back of questions asked during pre-season testing.

Verstappen has long been an outspoken figure in the F1 paddock, a quality that divides fans.

He’s previously taken a stance against the FIA when it comes to language in press conferences after swearing in one of the official sessions at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

Since then, he’s been open in his critique of the F1 2026 regulations, joking that he “swapped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch,” as he compared the sport to Mario Kart.

Through it all, he insists that he’s remained free from external pressure when it comes to speaking his mind.

“People are not trying to shut me up,” he said. “I mean, at the end of the day, I say what I think of the situation, because I care about the sport, and I think that’s right, and that’s what I say, and I go home. But at the moment, it’s just not a really nice situation.”

While work remains ongoing to remedy concerns with the F1 regulations as they stand, Verstappen was questioned on how he remains motivated.

“It’s a valid question,” he conceded.

“Every day I wake up, I convince myself again. Many times.”

“I enjoy working with everyone, for sure.

“Everyone is also trying their best, but it’s a lot of stuff together that at the moment is just not as nice for me.

“But that has nothing to do with the people in the team because I know they work very hard and they give everything to give me basically the best opportunity.”

The Suzuka exchange and Coulthard’s reaction has prompted discussion over how incidents involving driver-media interaction are handled, and whether they require clear regulatory guidance from the FIA.

For Verstappen, it adds to an ongoing backdrop of scrutiny around his relationship with Formula 1’s direction and aspects of its media framework.

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