“He has one way of racing”: Max Verstappen won’t change his style despite race ban looming as per F1 expert

Amid the threat of a possible race ban, F1 expert Jolyon Palmer believes Max Verstappen would not change his natural driving style. However, an aggressive move similar to the one he made against George Russell in Barcelona is something the Dutchman will likely avoid, added Palmer.

Verstappen, competing with McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the championship race, is one penalty point away from getting penalized with a race ban. In Barcelona this year, he caused a collision with George Russell, which triggered not only a 10-second time penalty but also an addition of three penalty points to his super license.

His total penalty points tally over the 12-month period now stands at 11 points, and not a single point will be reduced until the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, scheduled for June 29.

Despite the major threat of a race ban, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes Max Verstappen will not change his driving style. He will still take his chances in gaps but might avoid overly aggressive moves, similar to the one he made against Russell in Spain.

Talking on the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer said (via Racingnews365):

"I still don't think he's going to change his approach. I still think he has one way of racing, and it is to throw everything at it and see what sticks. And a lot of the time it sticks, and it's won him some Grand Prix this year as well, when he probably otherwise wouldn't have. Imola, for example, going around the outside at the first corner. He's a driver that just gives it everything."

"[He] risks more than the others, probably, and I don't see it changing. The Barcelona one is obviously a different scenario; that's not racing. He's lost his cool rather than misjudged a racing move. But in terms of actually what he's going to do on the track, I don't think he'll do that again. But I think I see him racing the same way, still firing in lunges, still trying to hang on around the outside if he possibly can. And will claim foul, will push, he'll push the limits in every way."

Verstappen is down to third place in the championship race with 137 points, 49 points behind leader Oscar Piastri.

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Max Verstappen told to avoid 'rash' moves by Red Bull

Max Verstappen with Helmut Marko at F1 Grand Prix Of Australia - Practice - Source: Getty

Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing is treating the race ban threat seriously. The team's senior motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, has stated that Max Verstappen is being told to avoid rash moves in Canada and Austria.

In his Speedweek column, Marko wrote (via Motorsportweek):

“Now he mustn’t do anything wrong over the next two race weekends, and of course he will be told not to do anything rash. It would be a disaster if he couldn’t start in Austria."

Max Verstappen lost significant points in Barcelona when he dropped from P5 to P10 after the 10-second time penalty. That hurt his title quest against Oscar Piastri, who won his fifth race of the season in Spain. Hence, a race ban could hurt Verstappen's prospects of winning his fifth title in a row.