US-based Liberty Media reportedly invested over $500m in thi𒀰s year’s inaugural Vegas Grand Prix but the event didn’t go without its issues.

Crucially, F1 champion 🅘Verstappen called it “99% show, 1% sport🍰ing event” before storming to his 18th victory of the year.

Coulthard was asked on Channel 4 if those words would have irked Liberty Media, and he replied💛: “Of course, they won’t like it. 

“They will just think about bottom-line investment. They are cold,😼 hard business people, at the end of the day. 

“One shoe doesn’t fit all. If Max fits into t🐼he grumpy, 85-year-old ‘freaky Friday’ - if that’s who his 🍰character is, then be true to yourself.”

Asked if Red Bull team p🎶rincipal Christianౠ Horner might have stepped in to ask that Verstappen tows the line, Coulthard replied: “Yes, I’m sure he would have had that conversation. 

“But Max believes in freedom of speech.”

Jamie Chadwick✱ insisted that nobody at Red Bull would be able to influence the strong-willed Verstappen’s opinions.

“No. That’s Max,” Chadwick said. 

“Everything he does, is just him. You’ve got to respect 🐷that. 

“He’s a three-time world c🧸hampion for a reason. I have a 𓂃lot of admiration for him. 

“He is himself, at times, and I’m sure Red Bull are frustrated 💧by the things he says.𒅌 But we love it.

“He loves to race. He doesn’t care about the rest of🧔 it. That’s his focus. 

“He doesn’t care about what else is going on, but a lot of people do care about that. It has b🍒rought a lot of eyebalﷺls to the sport this weekend.”

Verstappen, after winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix, was🍸 asked if his victory had changed his mind at all.

“Long straights, low speed corners, you don’t lo⛦se a lot of downforce,” he𝓡 reacted. 

“Tಞhat’s never been my issue. Today was fun. That’s the only thing I want to say about.”

But he was called out f🐻or being hypocri✨tical by Jolyon Palmer.

Palmer told the BBC: “You can’t one minute say ‘This is a shambles this race… if Monaco is Champions League then this is National League’ and then fifty laps l🍨ater you’re singing Viva Las Vegas in an Elvis suit. Come on.”