Horner: I don’t know where Verstappen was supposed to go

Verstappen, on the other hand, bit his tongue to stay out of trouble after clearly disagreeing with Formula 1 stewards over a costly penalty in the race at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Sunday.

Red Bull's four-time F1 world champion started on pole and finished second, 2.8 seconds behind McLaren's winner Oscar Piastri, after getting a five second penalty for a first corner incident.

He and Piastri raced into the corner, with Verstappen running wide and staying ahead before being penalized for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Team principal Christian Horner said the penalty was very harsh, producing a photograph for reporters to back up his argument.

"I don’t know where Max was supposed to go at that first corner. We’ve lost the race by 2.8 seconds, so it’s tough," he said.

Verstappen was reluctant to talk about it, he said: "Start happened, Turn One happened, and suddenly it was lap 50. It just all went super-fast," he said when asked for his take on the start.

"The problem is that I cannot share my opinion about it because I might get penalised also, so it's better not to speak about it."

Asked later whether he felt frustrated at not feeling able to speak out, he added: "It’s just the world we live in. You can’t share your opinion because it’s not appreciated apparently, or people can’t handle the full truth.

"Honestly, it’s better if I don’t say too much. It also saves my time because we already have to do so much. It’s honestly just how everything is becoming.

"Everyone is super sensitive about everything. And what we have currently, we cannot be critical anyway. So less talking, even better for me."

Verstappen was ordered to do 'work of public interest' after swearing during a Singapore Grand Prix press conference in September. The Dutch driver served it in Rwanda before the governing FIA's prize-giving gala in Kigali.

The FIA published amendments to the sporting code in January to set out stiff sanctions for drivers who break the rules concerning conduct.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin)