Coulthard insists Verstappen will anger F1 owners with negativity in Vegas

US-based Liberty Media reportedly invested over $500m in this year’s inaugural Vegas Grand Prix but the event didn’t go without its issues.

Crucially, F1 champion Verstappen called it “99% show, 1% sporting event” before storming to his 18th victory of the year.

Coulthard was asked on Channel 4 if those words would have irked Liberty Media, and he replied: “Of course, they won’t like it. 

“They will just think about bottom-line investment. They are cold, hard business people, at the end of the day. 

“One shoe doesn’t fit all. If Max fits into the grumpy, 85-year-old ‘freaky Friday’ - if that’s who his character is, then be true to yourself.”

Asked if Red Bull team principal Christian Horner might have stepped in to ask that Verstappen tows the line, Coulthard replied: “Yes, I’m sure he would have had that conversation. 

“But Max believes in freedom of speech.”

Jamie Chadwick insisted that nobody at Red Bull would be able to influence the strong-willed Verstappen’s opinions.

“No. That’s Max,” Chadwick said. 

“Everything he does, is just him. You’ve got to respect that. 

“He’s a three-time world champion for a reason. I have a lot of admiration for him. 

“He is himself, at times, and I’m sure Red Bull are frustrated by the things he says. But we love it.

“He loves to race. He doesn’t care about the rest of it. That’s his focus. 

“He doesn’t care about what else is going on, but a lot of people do care about that. It has brought a lot of eyeballs to the sport this weekend.”

Verstappen, after winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix, was asked if his victory had changed his mind at all.

“Long straights, low speed corners, you don’t lose a lot of downforce,” he reacted. 

“That’s never been my issue. Today was fun. That’s the only thing I want to say about.”

But he was called out for being hypocritical by Jolyon Palmer.

Palmer told the BBC: “You can’t one minute say ‘This is a shambles this race… if Monaco is Champions League then this is National League’ and then fifty laps later you’re singing Viva Las Vegas in an Elvis suit. Come on.”