Jolyon Palmer has criticised Max Verstappen for changing his "embarrassing" opinion on the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen won his 18th race of the season in Las Vegas on Saturday and praised the historic event, insisting he had "a lot of fun". Yet the world champion was critical of the race beforehand, describing it as "99 per cent show and one per cent sport".
Verstappen also compared the Nevada track to the "National League" in his scathing review but was then heard singing "Viva Las Vegas" after the race. Palmer, who competed in Formula 1 between 2016 and 2017, was not impressed with Verstappen's behaviour.
"Honestly, some of the comments before this weekend, even during this weekend, the negativity has been embarrassing," said Palmer on the BBC's Chequered Flag podcast. "Max has been very critical of the event and it’s been a tremendous success."
Palmer has described the Las Vegas GP as "the best" race "of the year". He also thinks F1 in the United States is "booming", with three races now taking place each year in the country. The Las Vegas GP followed the United States GP and the Miami GP.
F1 hasn't always been very popular in the US. There wasn't a race held there between 1992 and 1999 or 2008 and 2011, while the Miami GP was only introduced last year. It's the first time three races have been held in the US in a single year since 1982.
On Verstappen's behaviour, Palmer continued: "You can’t one minute say this is a shambles, this race, if Monaco is Champions League then this is National League, and then 50 laps later you’re singing 'Viva Las Vegas' in an Elvis suit. Come on."
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Verstappen was asked about the Las Vegas track after the race. He said: "I always expected it to be a good race today. Long straights, and low-speed corners, you don't lose a lot of downforce. That's never been my issue. Today was fun... I hope everyone enjoyed it."
Most people in F1 were positive about the Las Vegas GP, including Lewis Hamilton. He said after the race: "I really wasn't expecting the track to be so great, but the more and more laps I did, I just really loved racing. Lots of great overtaking opportunities."
The ex-world champion added: "I think for all those who were so negative about the weekend, saying it's all about the show, blah blah blah, I think Vegas proved them wrong."
The final race of the season takes place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, with plenty still to fight for. Although Verstappen and Red Bull have already won the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships respectively, Mercedes and Ferrari are still fighting for second spot in the latter table. Mercedes are currently just four points ahead of Ferrari.
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