A tense moment in the FIA press conference before the Austrian Grand Prix weekend saw Max Verstappen voice his frustration at one particular line of questioning

Max Verstappen was in no mood for one question in particular(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Safe to say Max Verstappen is well and truly fed up of questions about his Formula 1 penalty points situation. He made as much very clear as he snapped at a question in the FIA press conference held on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.

He heads into the Spielberg race still very much walking a disciplinary tightrope. He has 11 penalty points to his licence and one more picked up this weekend will see him reach the dozen needed in a 12-month period to trigger an automatic race ban.

Verstappen was in the same situation a fortnight ago in Canada and reacted badly to being questioned about it. In Montreal, he said he was “p***ed off” with people asking him about it and said it was “childish” to keep bringing the subject up.

But it arose again on Thursday as Verstappen took part in the media day press conference and immediately voiced his continues frustration over the line of questioning. It first came up when he was asked if it would change his approach to racing at the Red Bull Ring.

In response, the four-time F1 champion fumed: “You’re joking… Is this like a trap? I’m getting this question every single time, every weekend. Sorry, this is the last one. I have nothing to add.”

If he were to pick up another penalty point in Austria, then Verstappen would be banned for next weekend’s British Grand Prix. If he manages to keep his nose clean, then he will earn a little breathing space with two of his current points set to expire next week, prior to the Silverstone event.

But that question about his penalty situation was not the only thing that seemed to irritate Verstappen in a tense press conference. Another topic that seemed to get on his nerves was his long-term future, amid never-ending speculation that he might choose to walk away from Red Bull if they fall completely away from contention at the very front of the grid.

He has been regularly linked with the likes of Aston Martin and Mercedes, despite having a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 campaign. And on Thursday he waved away another question about that subject with another blunt response.

He said: “Oh, I’ve had that question before as well in my life… You want me to repeat what I said last year? I don’t even remember what I said last year, really. It’s just driving on, trying to push the performance and then we focus on next year.”

Championship leaders McLaren come into Red Bull’s home race as the favourites for victory and Verstappen said of his chances: “We’ve had a lot of great races here… also unexpected wins. I’m here to do the best I can and, of course, I hope to be on the podium.”