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Former F1 world champion Damon Hill reckons Max Verstappen's success has made him a target for the rest of the grid.
Hill feels the Red Bull driver's rise to the top has some negatives too. Talking on the F1 Nation podcast, Hill talked about how not everybody on the grid loves a winner, which Verstappen has started to realise now. Hill said:
"Not everybody loves a winner; their expression is or the idea is once you're leading, you're in a happy place. But there's also this other thing, which is in this business, all these other teams want to bring you down. So you become a target, and it can be sometimes baffling why people don't celebrate when you're doing really well, but there is that flip side to being successful."
Hill talked about how Verstappen's competitors would look to exploit chinks in the Dutchman's armour. He said:
"Max has experienced that a little bit this year; they've been trying to take a dig and poke to see if there's any weaknesses here and there, and it's been stressful from that point of view. You want to be respected for the work you do and the hard work that goes into winning in Formula 1. But not everyone's going to be happy you're winning, and that's just a sad fact of life."
Verstappen was the standout driver on the grid this year, winning a record 15 races and registering a record haul of 454 points
F1 should thank Max Verstappen - Bernie Ecclestone
In an interview with the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said that the sport should thank Max Verstappen. That's because the Red Bull driver's rise has brought back the sport back to the Netherlands and seen a rise in popularity. He said:
“Formula 1 should thank Max Verstappen. Max is a racer. He does what he has to do – he just races. The fans have wanted to see someone like that for a long time. The Netherlands is so proud of him, and everyone is behind him. That’s the sole reason why we are back at Zandvoort. I haven’t visited the last two races, but hopefully, it has all improved a bit there, otherwise it wouldn’t be good.”
Verstappen has won back-to-back world championships. Unlike the first season, where he had an intense battle with Lewis Hamilton, his second win was a far more straightforward affair. The Dutchman wrapped up the championship in Suzuka with four races to go.
