New Max Verstappen statement as teammate suffers online abuse

Max Verstappen has spoken out against the “not okay” online abuse directed towards his teammate Chris Lulham.

The Brit was subjected to hate after his error at the GT World Challenge Europe finale in Portimao saw Verstappen Racing penalised, leaving its eponymous leader to stress that “mistakes happen” and that such a reaction is never acceptable.

Max Verstappen defends Chris Lulham after online hate

Lulham manned the #3 Mercedes for the second stint of the three-hour race around Portimao, which returns to the Formula 1 calendar next year as host of the Portuguese Grand Prix.

After early progress from Ben Barnicoat had elevated the #3 machine up to seventh from 13th on the grid, Lulham had ensured that ascent continued. Then came a setback.

An aggressive move down the inside at Turn 8 resulted in contact with a fellow Mercedes, driven by Luca Stolz, who was sent spinning.

The stewards dished out a drive-through penalty for that incident, effectively ending the team’s victory hopes. Lulham served it shortly before handing over to Verstappen.

The Dutchman strapped himself in with 45 minutes left on the clock, joining the race in 24th before storming his way to a P9 finish.

Lulham has since been subjected to online abuse in the aftermath of the race.

Verstappen had already made his feelings clear by liking a social media post which condemned the abuse and stood in support of Lulham.

He has now taken the next step by posting on his own social media, denouncing the treatment of his younger teammate.

“Exciting weekend!” Verstappen’s X post begins. “Was very happy to be racing our GT3 car in Portimao. There were some ups and downs, but as a team we learnt a lot.

“I also feel I need to speak up about the hate and harassment Chris has received after the race.

“Everyone can have their opinions about what happened on track, but these personal attacks are not okay. Chris had a really strong stint and mistakes can happen.

“There’s no place for this kind of abuse in our sport or anywhere else.”

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Verstappen was competing at the GT World Challenge Europe season final in Portimao during the break between Formula 1 triple-headers.

The Red Bull racer has been on imperious form. Picking up where he left off at Sepang by winning the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, that the first win for Red Bull Powertrains-Ford, the Dutchman dominated in Singapore.

An assured Sprint victory in damp conditions was followed by a controlled Grand Prix win as Verstappen further strengthened his bid to finish runner-up in the F1 2026 Drivers’ Championship.

The next triple-header begins with the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas.

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