Max Verstappen savages media critics after French GP podium

Max Verstappen has accused his critics of double standards in the wake of Sebastian Vettel's crash into Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes at the start of the French GP.

Verstappen benefited from Vettel and Bottas' demise to take second place behind race winner Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton takes title lead after French GP victory
WATCH: Vettel and Bottas collide

But an aggrieved Verstappen, who was subject to intense media scrutiny at the start of the season after a string of mistakes, made his feelings clear after the race when he rounded on his critics.

"I think next time you see Seb you should ask him to change his style, y'know?," the Dutchman said in the post-race press conference. "Because honestly, it's not acceptable.

"That's what they said to me at the beginning of the season, so I think they should do the same! And then, of course, Seb shouldn't do anything, and just drive again and learn from this and go on. That's my advice to everyone in this room."

Verstappen then added to Sky Sports F1: "I hope when we get to Austria that the journalists ask him if he will change his approach because that is what l heard for so many races. It really annoyed me and it was stupid to ask.

"I'm getting annoyed about it."

While Verstappen was at pains not to criticise Vettel for his error, he was not so forgiving of his critics.

"Mistakes happen and they happen to the best of us," he continued. "But it makes me angry because they won't be as bad on him as they were on me. All the time they came to me on how l should change my approach and these stupid comments. I didn't change a thing and now everything is going right."

After crashing out in Baku when he collided with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, Verstappen has finished three of the last four races on the podium - punctuated by a ninth-place in Monaco after missing qualifying due to a crash in practice.

"I focus on my myself, but all these stupid comments you read on social media and journalists, it's really stupid," complained Verstappen. "I am not going to hold back on it."

For his part, Vettel chose not to be drawn on Verstappen's remarks. "I don't respond. I think it's better not to respond, I'm too old for this now!" he joked.

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