Esteban Ocon said Max Verstappen lacked professionalism by confronting and shoving him after their controversial clash in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
A furious Verstappen stormed to find Ocon in the FIA garage after the race, and was seen aggressively pushing his Force India rival as he lambasted him for colliding with him as he tried to unlap himself.
Speaking about the incident, and how the FIA had to intervene to prevent the fight escalating, Ocon told TV reporters: “What I am really surprised about is the behaviour of Max coming into the scales.
“The FIA having to stop him from being violent, pushing me and wanted me to punch me – and that is not professional.”
Asked by Sky if he planned to speak to Verstappen later, Ocon said: “I am used to the fights with Max. It has been the same. It goes back a few years, so no.”
Ocon defended his driving, saying that he had been well within his rights to unlap himself after switching to faster supersoft tyres.
“I was two laps behind Max,” he said. “The first lap I was a lot faster and the second lap I was a lot faster.
“I had fresh tyres basically and the rules say you are allowed to unlap yourself if you are faster, and that is what I did on the second lap because I had massive pace.
“I went around the outside of him, the same move I did on Fernando [Alonso], the same move I did on many other drivers, coming from last on the first lap. But it didn’t happen the same way in the corner after that.”
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