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Red Bull star Max Verstappen sat down for an interview with the Guardian in 2017 and answered questions about his racing career and life. While doing so, the topic of the Dutchman getting criticized for being too aggressive by fellow drivers came up. Verstappen detailed his biggest critic and his approach towards criticism
Max Verstappen made a move to the Red Bull Racing team from Toro Rosso in 2016, midway through the season. The Dutchman replaced Daniil Kvyat before the 2016 Spanish GP, with the Russian driver being demoted to the junior team.
Verstappen won his very first race for the team and made a mark in F1. For the remainder of the year, the Red Bull driver was regarded as one of the most aggressive, and this characteristic continued into 2021.
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Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo collided at the 2017 Hungarian GP, which led to the Australian driver retiring from the race, and making ‘sore loser’ comments about the Dutchman. Verstappen also moved on the Kemmel straight at Spa Francorchamps in 2016, preventing Kimi Raikkonen from making a move, which led to criticism.
The drivers criticised Verstappen for his aggressive driving during his early days in F1. However, during an interview with the Guardian, the then-19-year-old came out and revealed that his biggest critic is his father, former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. He said:
“The biggest critic I have in my life is my dad so everything else is just a breeze; it doesn’t really matter to me.”
Max Verstappen also went on to detail how he doesn't believe in changing his driving style despite the criticism from the drivers, as he added:
“As a driver it is important to focus on yourself and believe in yourself and there shouldn’t be a reason why, when you are in F1 and there is more attention, you change your approach.”
Verstappen, who is chasing his fifth consecutive world title this year, was handed three penalty points for his collision with George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix.
Lando Norris on Max Verstappen “not racing smart” after the Miami GP squabble
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen fought heel to heel at the 2025 Miami GP for multiple laps. During the fight, as Norris tried to make a move, Verstappen defended, which led to both drivers going off the track and losing time. The battle continued until Norris finally passed the Dutchman.
Verstappen didn't have the ultimate pace to battle the McLaren, yet he fought and lost time. Speaking about the battle after the race, Norris said:
“It was fine. He’s fighting hard, but it’s up to him to do that. He’s ruining his own race. He’s not racing very smart. We probably could have finished 1-2, and he didn’t because of that. So yeah, he’s fighting, that is always expected, but that’s what it is.”
The McLaren driver finished the race in P2 behind his teammate, Oscar Piastri, whereas Verstappen finished P4 behind Russell.
