Max Verstappen has apologised to Brazilians following comments he made in Bahrain last weekend.
After alleging that he was held up in qualifying, the Dutch teenager said he would not be speaking to Felipe Massa because "he is Brazilian, so there is not much to talk about".
When he heard about Verstappen's comments, Massa said that he spoke to the 19-year-old.
"I told him 'Be careful with what you say, because you still need to go to Brazil to race there," the Brazilian told UOL Esporte.
Amid the ensuing controversy, Verstappen has now apologised for causing any offense with his "emotional reaction".
"By no means did I mean to insult the Brazilian people who I greatly respect and are always very nice to me when I visit the country," said the Red Bull driver.
This year's Brazilian Grand Prix takes place on November 12.
