"Max Verstappen is entering his humble unc era like Lewis and Fernando did ": Fans react to the driver's reaction to the Antonelli clash

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen reacted calmly to his crash with Kimi Antonelli during the 2025 Austria Grand Prix. The Mercedes rookie slammed into him after locking up his rear brakes on the first lap, but the Dutchman deemed it a genuine mistake, which left fans surprised.

The incident unfolded at the race start. Verstappen was stationed in the midfield on P7, with Antonelli on P9. At turn 1, the rookie pressed the brakes too late and locked up his rear brakes to crash into the side of the Red Bull driver.

Both cars took a spin, resulting in an early DNF. For Verstappen, the stakes were high as he was competing with McLarens for his fifth title. However, despite losing crucial championship points, the Dutch driver was relatively calm in post-race interviews.

Talking to ESPN, Verstappen reflected on the incident and deemed it a genuine mistake from the rookie's end.

"I spoke to Kimi [Antonelli] also; he came quickly to the hospitality. I think every driver has made a mistake like that; no one does that on purpose. So for me that's not a big deal," Verstappen said.

Meanwhile, fans were surprised by this side of the four-time world champion and reacted on X.

"Max is entering his humble era like Lewis and Fernando did. Fuck, man, I’m getting old," a fan commented.

"Since when did Max adopt this Zen mode?" a user said.

Veeresh Ingleshwar

@VeerIngleshwar

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Since when did Max adopt this Zen mode?😳

"Being a father really changed him," a comment read.

A fan linked Max Verstappen's calm behavior towards Antonelli to ongoing rumors about his alleged talks with Mercedes.

"@Max33Verstappen is way, waaaay too calm about all this. He is going to Mercedes next year. For damn sure," a fan opined.

"Protecting his future teammate?" another user commented.

"In other words, 'He's going to be my teammate, so we’re good,'" a fan said.

Verstappen is reportedly in talks with Mercedes for a possible move in 2026. However, Red Bull has denied the speculation, saying the Dutchman is committed to adhering to his existing contract till 2028.

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Helmut Marko fears the championship quest is nearly over for Max Verstappen

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

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen walked away with zero points from the 2025 Austrian GP after his crash with Kimi Antonelli on lap one resulted in an early DNF. He's now trailing 61 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri in the title race at P3.

Talking to Austrian TV ORF, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko suggested that the title race is more or less over for Verstappen.

“We’ve got some updates coming over the next two races, but this was a performance that, I’d almost say... yes, it forces us to write off the championship. With this kind of gap, and unless we manage to catch up soon enough to win on merit, I mean, how many points is Max trailing now?"

"Looking at McLaren’s performance, they only had a dip in Canada, when they needed new parts. That’s not something we can rely on happening again. So no, it doesn’t look good."

Kimi Antonelli was handed a three-place grid penalty for an incident with Max Verstappen, which he will serve in the 2025 British GP. Moreover, the rookie also received two penalty points on his super license.