After taking pole on Saturday, the Red Bull driver reported a “funny story” in qualifying. One supporter behaved rudely towards him, “so I pointed the finger at him. The next time I passed him, he clapped.” Verstappen said fans will learn something new.

“You know, it's easy to not be nice to drivers, but I can't be nice to you either,” the Dutchman confirmed. Verstappen took the episode in stride, after all, the local fans were “generally very passionate. They love motorsport”.

The three-time world champion can win his fifth race of the season on Sunday (3pm) and extend his lead in the championship.