Max Verstappen has often been criticized for his aggressive, elbows-out style of driving. Yet, the 2x world champion remains unapologetic about his racing style. as that’s how he learned it while he was karting.
In a 2017 interview, the Dutchman admitted that it was common to race roughly on track. It was common for drivers to verbally threaten their rivals about pushing them off the track and replicating the risky moves.
"The sun is out, the smiles will be out at 18 years and 227 days old Max Verstappen wins a Formula 1 Grand Prix, Wins the Spanish Grand Prix."
It's been 7 years since Max's first race win 🧡🦁https://t.co/9wLap6Uarl
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) May 15, 2023
Therefore Verstappen himself adopted the style of driving as he ended up dominating championships at a young age. And when the Dutchman made his mark in F1 at age 17, it stuck with him.
Verstappen shares the origins of his aggressive racing
In a 2017 interview with Exact, Max Verstappen was asked about his aggressive style of driving. The host recalled the driver saying he’ll bump a driver off the track while he was karting. Although crashing into another driver is considered disrespectful in racing, it used to be common back in the day.
Especially in Karting, where the 2x world champion developed his peculiar style of driving. The Red Bull driver agreed with the host. “Yeah, that’s about right. When the emotions are running high, you tend to say certain things. But that’s what used to happen.”
He clarified, “You don’t bump someone off the track for fun.” Verstappen claimed drivers used to say such things to try to get into the minds of their opponents and intimidate them.
However, the Dutchman joked, “I don’t usually say these things. I just do it.” This shows that the driver was always fearless about taking risks and facing their consequences.
Teammate reveals what sets Max Verstappen apart from the rest
Max Verstappen’s Redline Sim teammate Atze Kerkhof revealed what sets the driver apart from the rest. He also gave some insight into the Red Bull driver’s setup and what he prefers on weekends and in the simulator.
Kerkhof told the Dutchman prefers and front-end focused car with little to no under-steer. Other drivers might find his setup undrivable, but it suits the Red Bull driver’s aggressive style of driving.
Kerkhof said, “No one else can handle it because they start sliding. He manages to make it perfectly smooth and uses that extra rotation and he can cancel that when he doesn’t need it.”
Max Verstappen wrote himself into the history books #OnThisDay in 2016, becoming the youngest race winner of all time 🤩
And what a career he has had since that @redbullracing debut! 🏆#F1 @Max33Verstappen pic.twitter.com/LhHyCQ8mtW
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 15, 2023
However, the Dutchman is not afraid of adapting either. He continued, “What makes Max very strong is that he is very dynamic in his driving. So he can drive an impossible car and send it over the limit and on the edge of optimal performance better than anyone.”
His former Red Bull teammate Alex Albon reiterated the same phrase. Albon claimed Verstappen’s cars are extremely front-end sensitive. The Thai driver compared driving the Dutchman’s cars is like playing Call of Duty with the mouse sensitivity set to the maximum.
