Max Verstappen said he spends little time worrying about criticism from F1 fans who are still "sore" over the outcome of the 2021 title race.
The Dutchman fought a fierce battle with Lewis Hamilton for glory in that campaign. He took glory on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi finale, following a highly controversial safety car decision made by race director Michael Masi.
The FIA later admitted "human error" had played a part in how the title race was decided. And as a result, many fans to this day refuse to accept the outcome of the title race and feel Hamilton should have won it over Verstappen.
Those feelings have only been intensified by recent revelations that Red Bull broke cost cap rules last season. After analysis of financial submissions from each team, the FIA singled them out as the only team on the grid who overspent by a "minor" amount.
That saga is set to come to an end on Friday. The FIA and Red Bull are believed to have agreed on an appropriate punishment, which will come with financial and sporting penalties – though it is expected that Verstappen's title will be safe.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix, Verstappen said he has found the cost cap talk "a bit frustrating". He told reporters: "From our side we feel we are not wrong, but just some things are taken into the budget cap which are very unexpected. We have to deal with it. But it's also not up to me to decide what is right."
He went on to theorise that those who have been particularly vocal about the manner in which he won his first F1 title will also be keen to jump on the cost cap issue. But Verstappen also made it clear he will not be losing any sleep over what those people think.
"They are sore anyway so it doesn't matter what they say or what you do," he added. "I can [brush it off]. Probably they can't and they will never be able to, so that's a problem for them to deal with."
Red Bull's sporting penalty is expected to come in the form of reduced aerodynamic testing time for the 2023 season. Verstappen could not be tempted to estimate how this may affect the team, simply stating: "We don't know until the things are decided – also these things I'm not involved with."
