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Max Verstappen inevitably faced a barrage of questions in Thursday's press conference at the Brazilian GP on whether the two 10-second time penalties he received at Formula 1's Mexican Grand Prix will force him to change his approach in wheel-to-wheel combat.
Verstappen has so often been in the spotlight in 2024, whether it's been over the misconduct investigation into his team boss Christian Horner, Adrian Newey's bombshell departure, Red Bull's own performance decline, the FIA's swearing clampdown or, as is now the case, his style of racing.
As with the other topics, Verstappen faced a series of continuous questions in the FIA's three-driver press conference at Interlagos - leaving his fellow representatives, Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda in this case, with plenty of thumb-twiddling to do.
Some of those questions were repetitive and some were more provocative than others. But regardless, in trademark Verstappen style, there were plenty of curt, no-nonsense, often humorous (intentional or otherwise) replies.
It was once again box-office viewing as far as FIA press conferences go.
'I know what I'm doing'
"It's my 10th year in Formula 1. I think I know what I'm doing," Verstappen replied when asked if he'd change his way of racing after Mexico.
He rebuffed the suggestion that he is on his own amid so much scrutiny over the way he races - "I don’t feel alone at all, I have good friends and family" - and also appeared unmoved by the stewards' action against him in Mexico.
"You win some, you lose some," Verstappen said when asked if actions are justified when the stewards are penalising him. "That's how it is in racing. I like to win, I don't like to lose; not many people like to lose."
Verstappen is uncompromising, much like many of F1's greats have been before him. But it's wrong to suggest he's incapable of ever changing, given he did so after an incident-strewn start to 2018.
But there's perhaps now a feeling for Verstappen that his wheel-to-wheel racing has been developed enough and his success is proof nothing needs to change - that much at least was suggested in his reply to 1996 world champion Damon Hill's criticism that Verstappen is unable to “concede turf” in battle.
"I don't listen to those individuals I just do my thing," Verstappen said when Hill's argument was put to him. "I'm a three-time world champion, I think I know what I’m doing."
'I'm not Max's teacher'
Title rival Lando Norris was similarly steadfast in the opinions he had after his and Verstappen's clashes in Mexico.
"They [the stewards] have a very difficult job, but they've done a good job. I think 99% of people who watch Formula 1 and know Formula 1 agree with that," Norris said in Brazil.
"We're happy from our side. I stayed out of trouble and did my job also.
"But every weekend is a new weekend, right? I don't know what to expect this weekend. I hope I expect a cleaner battle than what we had. It's not up to me. I don't make the rules. I don't decide the penalties. I just drive and the stewards did the rest and they did a good job."
Norris said he and Verstappen had not spoken since their clashes, but reiterated his belief that Verstappen would know what he did in Mexico was wrong.
"I don't think we need to. I've got nothing to say," Norris said of him and Verstappen talking.
"I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does. Not respect for what he did last weekend, but respect for him as a person and also what he's achieved.
"But it's not for me to speak to him. I'm not his teacher, I'm not his mentor or anything like that. Max knows what he has to do, he knows that he did wrong.
"Deep down he does and it's for him to change, not for me."
Whose advice does Verstappen listen to?
Verstappen wouldn’t name those he listens to explicitly - his response that "there's no need to name them here" suggested he was growing tired of such questions - but he emphasised they have a good heart and aren't there to stir "stuff".
"I can't say the word because I'll probably get another [community service order from the FIA]…apparently it only counts for me anyway because after the race in Mexico, someone [Charles Leclerc] was swearing," he said. "I didn't hear anything from it, so it's better I don't swear again.
"Some people are just being very annoying, and I know who these people are. I don't pay a lot of attention to them anyway, and I think I've got to this stage in my career with the right people supporting me and making my own decisions. So I think I know what I'm doing.
"[These people are] good people with a good heart. I know [who they are], that’s the most important.
"Some people are just a bit biased, which I get it. It's fine. But it’s not my problem at the end of the day, I just continue with my life and keep performing."
That would suggest if there's any change in Verstappen's racecraft it’s not going to be prompted by the stewards, but by those trusted advisors close to him - as was the case in 2018.
As with his segue into pointing out the double standards over Leclerc not receiving a penalty for his bad language in the post-race press conference in Mexico, Verstappen provided a level of transparency of opinion F1 is lucky to have.
A young driver revolution?
And Verstappen was eloquent, too, on two young drivers who might be on the F1 sidelines next season but who he thinks have done enough for a seat.
"If I was Sauber I would have signed him already," Verstappen said of Formula 2 points leader Gabriel Bortoleto.
"Especially if that's anyway the future, young drivers. '26 is a big rule change, always good to get used to a team already for a year, make your mistakes here and there. Get integrated well, understand the car a bit, you always feel much more prepared when you start in '26."
There was also support for Franco Colapinto's bid to remain on the grid in 2025, with Verstappen believing Colapinto's impressive stint so far is a case study in why teams need to trust young drivers more.
"It just shows in general teams need to be more open to putting young talents in and trust them, because now you have this kind of situation where he’s a Williams junior and potentially has to leave or try to find luck elsewhere," he said.
