“Adrenaline Can Be Terrible”: Max Verstappen’s ‘Fierce Behavior’ on Track Understood by Ex-Professional Cyclist

“Adrenaline Can Be Terrible”: Max Verstappen’s ‘Fierce Behavior’ on Track Understood by Ex-Professional Cyclist

Max Verstappen is infamous for his aggressive antics and outbursts on the team radio comms. However, according to ex-professional cyclist Niki Terpstra, he can place himself in Verstappen’s shoes and understands the root cause of Verstappen’s ‘tantrums.’

An elite athlete in his own right, Terpstra explained, “Adrenaline can be terrible and can make you react differently. If you are driving that car so hard and you react a bit grimly, that is simply because you are pushing and not driving around in a relaxed manner,” on the Formula 1 Paddock Talk podcast (as quoted by Formule1.nl).

Driving F1 cars around racing tracks at break-neck speeds is no mean feat. The drivers risk life and limb to battle against the very best of motorsport. Naturally, with such high stakes and speeds, the adrenaline rush is incomparable, which explains their aggressive behavior.

The team plays a crucial role in taming that beast in the cockpit. In Verstappen’s case, his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, can be heard coaching the Dutchman through a race, though many times to his detriment. Nevertheless, seasoned drivers like Verstappen have learned how to calm themselves down when in the eye of the storm.

Max Verstappen has matured as a driver but has not softened

In comparison to his early days in the sport, Verstappen is a much more seasoned and calmer personality. He’s learned a lot as a driver and matured in that regard. That doesn’t mean he goes any easier on his opponents, though.

He’s known for his relentless drive to win. On more than one occasion, he’s the last one to brake, the one making the lunges and giving just enough space to his opponent to back out of a move he wants to make his own.

But this single-minded determination to dominate has seen him wrap up his 3rd consecutive title in style. After the Singapore GP, for example, the paddock reasoned the FIA’s flexi-wing ban to be the start of Red Bull’s downfall. Lo and behold, since that race, Verstappen’s gone on to win every single race remaining on the calendar.

The dynamic between Lambiase and Verstappen is instrumental, too. According to Red Bull boss Christian Horner, ‘GP‘ has become an integral part of the Milton Keynes team’s future plans to dominate for this very reason.

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
Gianpiero Lambiase Max Verstappen Red Bull

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

Don’t miss these