Max Verstappen’s three-word jab to major celebrity’s face as new Miami GP footage emerges

The footage is out and Verstappen was not at all impressed.

Max Verstappen’s blunt comeback sparked plenty of reaction from fans (Image: The Tonight Show)

Max Verstappen left some Formula 1 fans in stitches with an instant retort to Jimmy Fallon’s face during an interview with the American media personality. It happened during a conversation between them at the Miami Grand Prix with fresh footage emerging from a video involving Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, and the two Red Bull drivers.

In the short clip, Isack Hadjar is seen to the right of frame saying nothing but smirking while wearing dark sunglasses, as Fallon addresses his team-mate Verstappen. The Dutchman mustered a smile as he told the comedian: “I love being here,” referring to his Miami surroundings in the paddock found on the Hard Rock Stadium pitch.

Fallon then proceeded to crack a couple of jokes about the four-time F1 world champion’s name. “Max Verstappen, like Ver-stopping at the store, Ver-stopping to get coffee, you know?” he said. But in what was clearly a scripted bit, the smile was soon wiped off Fallon’s face as, without hesitation, the racer bluntly replied: “Ver-stopping this interview.”

The clip of that painful interaction was shared on Reddit, where hundreds of F1 fans were swift to respond. “Fallon is going to get a Max Verslappin’ if he doesn’t pack it in,” one wrote. Another said: “I am feeling the second-hand embarrassment through the screen.” A third praised Verstappen’s “perfect comedic timing”, while a fourth added: “Jimmy wrote that bit. How do I know? It wasn’t funny. Max sass isn’t scripted.”

Jimmy Fallon also left Martin Brundle unimpressed with his grid walk antics (Image: Sky Sports)

It is the latest bizarre footage featuring Fallon to emerge from the Miami F1 race weekend. The most high-profile incident saw the talk show host inexplicably bite the red and blue Sky Sports cover off the microphone waved in his direction by Martin Brundle, as the legendary analyst and commentator attempted to interview him during his live grid walk segment before Sunday’s Grand Prix.

“Don’t take my mic sock again,” Brundle told Fallon with a smirk, before addressing what had happened in a social media post several hours later. He wrote: “In 30 years of broadcasting, I’ve never wondered what a branded microphone sock tastes like. There’s some very funny people around.”

Fallon also commented on it a day later when he returned to hosting duties on The Tonight Show. “They have a thing called the grid where they had you go out onto the track right before the race,” the 51-year-old told his audience. “You do like 20 interviews with reporters all over the world. Martin Brundle, by the way your microphone tastes delicious.”

While on the ground at the Miami GP, Express Sport also witnessed Fallon acting erratically following the national anthem, after which everyone who does not need to be on the grid is asked to leave swiftly. As grid DJ Anna de Ferran was completing her set, Fallon was seen dancing wildly in front of her decks before he was escorted away by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem, who were both seen speaking to Fallon while walking him off the grid.