Max Verstappen has been slammed for making light of the several fines he has been slapped with this season.
The Red Bull racer joked that he had been paying for the FIA's "dinners and good wine" with financial penalties that he feels have been levied unfairly upon him.
One such fine came in Brazil, when he was ordered to pay more than £40,000 for breaking rules around touching other cars in parc fermé – he had been spotted closely inspecting the rear wing on title rival Lewis Hamilton 's Mercedes.
He has also been given some performance punishments, such as the two time penalties he was handed last time out in Saudi Arabia for crossing the line in his duels with Hamilton.
Verstappen has laughed off those penalties, suggesting that he is unfairly treated as others had, he feels, done similar things without any recourse.
"I don’t understand because I thought I was just racing hard," he told reporters.
"What happened, for me, didn’t deserve any penalty. Really, the other two people who did it, they didn’t get one.
"It’s only me who gets it and, of course, fighting up the front, people were more critical, I guess. For me, I don’t understand.
"I end up with penalties while other drivers do the same and don’t get a penalty. I’ve paid the FIA a nice fine, so they’ve had dinners and good wine but it doesn’t seem to help."
But Damon Hill, who has had run ins with Verstappen and his Red Bull boss Christian Horner already this season, doesn't believe the racer should be cracking jokes after being fined.
"Max is needling a little bit, saying: 'I hope you enjoy your lunch on my fine to the FIA'," the 1996 world drivers' champion told Sky Sports’ The F1 Show.
"It is entertaining, but he’s also being a bit disingenuous as well because he’s actually provoked a lot of the reaction and suggestions that he may do something naughty.
"He’s uncompromising and intimidating. Anything could happen. We don’t know."
One of those things that might happen is another crash in Abu Dhabi, after several high-profile incidents involving Hamilton and Verstappen this season.
Considering he has the advantage of having won more races this season, there have been suggestions that the Dutchman might seek to take out his rival at Yas Marina to ensure he wins his maiden F1 title.
But Verstappen has rubbished such talk, and said he wants to win on the track.
"As a driver, you don’t think about these things," he added.
