'I don't talk to idiots' - Raging Red Bull chief slams Esteban Ocon after Max Verstappen collision in Brazil

Esteban Ocon has been accused of going out of his way to help Mercedes to victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix following his collision with Max Verstappen.

Red Bull motorsport chief Helmut Marko branded Ocon an “idiot” after the Frenchman attempted to unlap himself by passing the race leader only for the pair to clash.

Verstappen was cruising to victory when the two collided on lap 44, forcing the Red Bull into a spin and handing the lead and eventual victory back to Lewis Hamilton.

“It’s outrageous that an inferior driver with a Mercedes contract knocks the race leader off the track and receives only a 10-second penalty,” said Marko. “The desperate Mercedes driver, who has been promised a seat for 2020, cost us a win.”

Force India’s Ocon is contracted to Mercedes — who are hoping to get him a race seat at Williams next season — and he denied any foul play, insisting he had been within his rights to unlap himself. But a fuming Marko said: “Do I want to talk to him? I do not talk to idiots.”

Verstappen, who finished the race in second, reacted angrily in the wake of the mishap.

The Dutchman remonstrated with Ocon and shoved him repeatedly in front of bemused fellow drivers and FIA officials.

He was later handed two days of community service.