Max Verstappen walked into the FIA press conference room at Suzuka on Thursday and refused to speak until a specific reporter got up and left. The reporter was Giles Richards of The Guardian, and what followed was one of the most unusual media moments of Verstappen's career.
"1 second, I'm not speaking before he's leaving," Verstappen said, gesturing towards Richards.
Asked directly if he wanted the journalist to leave, the four-time world champion did not hesitate.
"Yep, get out," Verstappen said. "Get out."
Only once Richards had exited the room did Verstappen begin his media session. "Now we can start," he said.
The ejection appeared to stem from a previous press conference in which Richards had pressed Verstappen about the Barcelona incident that proved decisive in his 2025 championship loss. Speaking later, Verstappen made clear the frustration had been building.
"At the time, you forget all the other stuff that happened in my season. The only thing you mention is Barcelona," he said. "I knew that would come. You're giving me a stupid grin now. I don't know. Yeah, it's part of racing at the end. You live and learn. The championship is one of 24 rounds."
Richards, for his part, described the moment publicly shortly afterwards.
"When he saw me, he stared, smiled, and declared he would not speak until I left. He told me to get out," the Guardian correspondent recounted. "I have never been asked to leave a press conference. And naturally, this raised serious questions. Why would a driver of Verstappen's stature react this way?"
The Firstpost analysis of the incident framed it as a symptom of Verstappen's wider struggle in the new era. With Mercedes setting the pace under the 2026 regulations, Ferrari pushing forward and Lewis Hamilton looking rejuvenated in red, Red Bull's former benchmark has suddenly become the grid's most scrutinised team.
James of James' Pit Lane argued Verstappen's response was disproportionate, noting that the Barcelona question was legitimate.
Thomas Maher of F1 Insider went further in his own take, pointing out that a pattern is forming. Verstappen has boycotted a Dutch broadcaster over coverage he disliked, accused British reporters of bias and — earlier in his career — threatened physical retaliation against a rival driver. Where once these moments were dismissed as the raw edges of a young champion, the Firstpost analysis suggested they now read differently.
"Greatness in sport is not just about championships," the Firstpost commentator argued. "It's also about composure, about handling pressure. But facing scrutiny without losing control. Yes, the media can be harsh. Yes, the narratives can be unfair. But the greatest champions, they absorb it, they respond to it, and they rise above it."
The bigger question hanging over Suzuka was whether this was a one-off flash of temper or the start of a trend.
"Can Verstappen reset, refocus, and let his driving do the talking again?" the analysis asked. "Or will these off-track controversies start overshadowing everything he has built?"
Red Bull have made no official comment on the incident. The Guardian has continued to cover the championship as normal.
What is clear is that the Verstappen of 2026 — fighting a car that team principal Laurent Mekies has already admitted is off Mercedes' pace, and still carrying the scars of losing a title many believed he should have won — is a more combustible figure than the one who cruised to four consecutive crowns. The ejection of a single reporter on a Thursday afternoon at Suzuka was, in its own small way, evidence of that.
And the season is only three races old.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/verstappen-ejects-guardian-journalist-suzuka-press-conference). Visit for full coverage.*