Max Verstappen ‘won’t change’ despite Lewis Hamilton clashes as F1 rivals sent warning | F1 | Sport

Martin Brundle has insisted that Max Verstappen will not be looking to soften his driving style in spite of the criticism aimed in his direction after clashing with Lewis Hamilton on a number of occasions last season. The Dutchman clinched his maiden Drivers’ Championship title in dramatic fashion at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a long and hard-fought battle with his Mercedes rival that lasted for the duration of the entire campaign.

The rivalry between Verstappen and Hamilton was characterised by a number of high-profile incidents that left a sour taste on plenty of occasions throughout the season. The pair came together in Britain, Italy and Saudi Arabia and were involved in plenty of near-misses and controversial moments that emerged as major talking points over the course of the year.

A significant number of their clashes were attributed to Verstappen’s aggressive driving style, which has formed a key part of the 24-year-old’s arsenal since he made his F1 debut back in 2015. He has often been criticised by fans and pundits alike due to his uncompromising nature but Brundle is adamant that he will not change his ways as he goes in search of back-to-back Drivers’ Championship titles over the coming months.

“I think his style’s his style, the others are going to have to change their style around him,” Brundle told a number of outlets including Express Sport. “If you listen to Esteban Ocon, who raced against him in junior racing, and others in karting, it’s [been clear from] quite early in terms of how he goes about his racing.

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“He’s aggressive. Whether he’ll temper some of the stuff, for example I felt some of the stuff in Saudi, it didn’t please him or them. I thought it was over the top in Saudi, his driving.

“I only say that because I think he’s so good, he doesn’t need to do that. It’s horrible when we talk about Michael [Schumacher] and you always end up having to talk about his misdemeanours, which is such a shame. Ayrton [Senna] as well, we saw all sorts of things go on with him.

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“They’re so good, they don’t need to have that slight tarnish for me on their credibility and reputation. Max has got more talent in his little finger than I ever had. Just watching him control a car, it’s quite extraordinary.

“But that’s how you go racing, you set up and you leave the others to work it out from there. They’re going to have to change the way they go racing because I don’t think Max will be doing a whole lot different.”

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