It is common for drivers to develop rivalries in F1 when competing at the highest level, but what’s rare is clashing with a world champion who retired decades ago. That has been—and remains—the relationship between Max Verstappen and Damon Hill.
Hill, the 1996 world champion, has been a vocal Verstappen critic for years. The Briton disapproves of his aggressive driving and has called it out on multiple occasions.
In mid-2024, when the ex-Williams driver lost his job as a Sky Sports pundit, many believed Verstappen played a role. Regardless, Hill did not back down and continued to share his views.
Speaking with The Telegraph, Hill insisted he didn’t hate Verstappen. “I think Max is brilliant,” the 64-year-old said. “I like him—I mean, what’s not to like? He’s sensational.” So, what went wrong?
When he felt the four-time champion had overstepped the limits with his aggressive driving, he found it necessary to speak out. That said, Hill doesn’t blame Verstappen for everything.
He believes Red Bull should have handled its drivers better. “I think Red Bull have a responsibility—their team management has a responsibility to the sport, you know?”
“If their driver goes over the limit on occasion, they have a responsibility to say, ‘You can’t do that.’ And they don’t.”
Damon Hill says “Max is brilliant. I like him. I mean what’s not to like? He’s sensational.”
But will always call him out when he has “overstepped the mark” with his aggressive driving driving style pic.twitter.com/P89tyYEy8a
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) February 28, 2025
Verstappen is the undisputed number one at Red Bull. In today’s F1, no driver holds their position within a team as firmly—and it shows. Even in the Dutchman’s most controversial moments, the Milton Keynes-based outfit has gone out of its way to defend him.
For instance, at the 2024 Mexico City GP, Verstappen was crossing the line—quite literally—as he forced title rival Lando Norris off the track. A 20-second penalty was handed out, but Team Principal Christian Horner yet called it “harsh.”
Hill’s harsh comments on Verstappen before Sky Sports exit
Hill was one of the faces of Sky Sports’ coverage, but many felt he took things too far when he compared Verstappen to Dick Dastardly—a fictional cartoon villain. Using the character as a reference, Hill claimed Verstappen relied on “fear and intimidation” to get his way around the paddock.
This came right after Verstappen’s incident with Norris in Mexico. Shortly after, Hill left the company he had worked at for more than 13 years.
“I would like to believe that my departure had nothing to do with Verstappen,” he later stated, citing a change of the old guard as the reason behind his removal. Still, he stood by the Dick Dastardly comment.
Verstappen responded by insisting that as a multiple-time world champion, he “knew what he was doing.” But Hill continued to question the fairness.
“He says he knows what he’s doing, but is it right and fair? There are also rules… to ensure fairness, and we shouldn’t be condoning driving cars off the track.”
Hill may have vacated the platform Sky Sports gave him, but he remains an influential figure in F1. Safe to say that as long as Verstappen continues to drive aggressively, the criticism will keep flowing.
