Sky Sports under fire after the Rosberg 'interview' with Verstappen

It was on the grid prior to the Belgian Grand Prix. Nico Rosberg rushed live on television to Jos Verstappen, to confront him with an old statement: "Last year, you said Horner needs to go because he’s destroying the team," the German began.

Verstappen Sr responded by stating that the situation had changed since then, after which he discontinued the conversation on this topic. "That was one and a half years ago. It’s different. I have nothing to say. It’s fine."

For Rosberg, that wasn't enough. "Now you are quiet," the 2016 world champion said. To which the Dutchman responded: "I'm always quiet."

The way Jos Verstappen was treated on the grid - just before the start of an important race for his son Max - by Rosberg, has been seen in the sport with considerable annoyance - as GPblog has learned from various people over the weekend in Hungary.

At the highest level, it has been indicated to Sky Sports that the way Verstappen was pressurised is not acceptable and this should not happen again. However, there are also questions as to whether Rosberg should have been on the grid at all during the gridwalk in Belgium.

The incident between Rosberg and Verstappen Sr is not an isolated case. Over the past few years, there has been regular irritation at Red Bull Racing about the way Max Verstappen was interviewed or judged by Sky Sports, compared to the way British drivers were treated. It even led to a boycott by the Austrian team of Sky during the Mexico Grand Prix in 2022.

According to German media, the Sky Sports DE is currently being boycotted by Aston Martin, because Ralf Schumacher was critical of Lance Stroll - the son of owner Lawrence. The former German driver expressed that Stroll Jr owes his mechanics an apology after he reportedly swore at them during the weekend of the Canadian Grand Prix.

GPblog has learned that the word "boycott" may be overstated here. Sky Germany and Aston Martin have recently held several discussions after the team found the reporting to be unbalanced. Indeed, no one-on-one interviews have been given recently, which should be taken as a sign for Sky.

Sky Sports DE is still able to speak with Stroll and Fernando Alonso on TV, and the broadcaster is also welcome at the press conferences on Thursday. The expectation is that the relationship between Aston Martin and Sky Germany will improve soon. The broadcaster itself has reportedly indicated that their coverage about the team was sometimes too negative.

Either way, it's an absolute fact that Sky Sports is currently not liked by everyone in the paddock.