Stopping his blocking antics is going to be the job of Charlie Whiting and the race stewards - And Verstappen has already been put on notice that they are now looking out for it. Stopping the rest of the crap that Verstappen is getting himself involved in, including alienating himself from his fellow racers who are fast loosing trust and respect for him with his "f*** you all, don't give a s***, I'll force you off the track if I feel like it" attitude, and the more recent off track controversies with Villeneuve, is exactly what his Father should be putting a stop to. As for a big accident coming - Perhaps that's what it's going to take for Verstappen to find out that F1 isn't a PlayStation game where you can do what you like and nobody gets hurt. The problem is, it's highly likely to be someone else who ends up getting hurt due to Verstappen's "don't give a s***" attitude and antics.
Spa 2016 wasn't his first race. Don't dramatize it all too much. This past couple of days we've heard reactions from Kimi, Vettel, Rosberg, Hamilton and Alonso that didn't either.
+1 Kimi, Vettel, Verstappen, have all calmed from what happened at Spa and that's that. Straight out of the car, interviews, hot headed a little still. Kimi's only (rightful) observation was that Verstappen shouldn't take revenge out on the track as that'll get people hurt.
Truly terrifying prospect. He was a loose canon last year, somewhat improved now but I'm still against his move.
No it wasn't his first race - And it wasn't the first demonstration of his pi$$ poor driving standards either when it comes to defending his position during an overtake. He should have got a drive through penalty for his last minute swerving in Hungary! There are certain aspects of his driving that need stamping out ASAP because they are dangerous!
Max is a great driver, and fun to watch. Highly skilled, he will be a WC one day. However, at the moment, his lack of maturity is showing more than anything else, as is a lack of professionalism. No longer is he racing in a series where he was probably dominating everyone else, he is now racing among peers who are far more seasoned than him. Just because you weren't penalized for a particular questionable move, doesn't mean it should be part of your regular repertoire of moves. If other drivers are complaining about it, it would be wise to pay attention, as these are the guys you are on the track with. They can easily return the same attitude, and make your F1 racing life hell. Learn from a guy like Alonso. He will fight you tooth and nail, but is fair and professional in doing so.
SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 Verstappen tells Lauda to go to psychiatrist too Max Verstappen has told his critics to "get used to" his on-track style. The 18-year-old was the hot topic of conversation in the Monza paddock, a week after riling Kimi Raikkonen and many of his rivals at Spa. F1 legend Niki Lauda even urged the Dutchman to go to a "psychiatrist" to temper his aggression. "If I go, then we might as well go together," Verstappen laughed, as he appeared on the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport Totaal. As for Finn Raikkonen's criticism, however, Max added: "If I was Kimi, I would have said the same thing on the radio." But Verstappen said the criticism "doesn't change much for me -- on the track, I do my own thing. Some actions may be viewed critically, but then they just have to get used to it, I guess."
They do not have to get used to that if they do not want to...If they counter the same way he does he will finish not a single race...And then most likely his team and sponsors will tell him how to behave. It looks like he has to learn it the hard way! Let´s hope nobody gets seriously injured during this process...I think it is way to early to act like the alpha-male in the group, a few guys might not like that.
The one time Elton is useful, he will hopefully have max treat him the way he himself treats others, and the two will have a repeat of the Elton/massa demolition derby season allowing Nico to sail to the championship and Mercedes and red bull share an enormous carbon fibre bill
I thought verstappen, the next coming if christ in a race car was going to destroy Ricciardo? Looks like Daniel is faster than very one thought.
IMO they're very closely matched. Ricciardo still has the edge on Saturdays, and up until the summer break Verstappen matched or bettered him for the most part on Sundays. Belgium he crashed (whose fault it was no one can agree on, even racing drivers...so I think we can constitute it's a racing incident). Monza was a botched start (clutch issue), finished only 9 seconds behind Ricci after having to right plenty drivers. This race, it's my opinion that he botched the start himself (surely if they had clutch issues they'd make noise about it before the start, not after...it's how these things work. Always cover your driver. Covering him after always reeks a bit of PR to me). Lets still not forget that it's only his 3rd year of car racing. He's only going to get better. Which is quite a worry, especially if you don't like him .
I do like him and think he's very talented and the only people that are entertaining race after race are ricciardo and verstappen. I just think ricciardo is equally talented and more level headed. The last 5 races alone ricciardo has done very well. Everyone was just very quick to say he would wipe the floor with Ricciardo, Daniel has said otherwise. Belgium was a combo of him and vettel making boneheaded moves. Botched starts are part of racing. Look what it's done to Hamilton this season.
I don't think anyone said that outright (on here, anyways), though many (me included I believe) did say at the end of the season Verstappen will have more points. The last 3 races aren't representative of Verstappen's pace.
If you watch the POV video as Max is exiting turn 3, it reveals the quality of his eyesight ! Lizard is the same colour as tarmac too Formula One driver Max Verstappen dodges 'giant lizard' on track ahead of Singapore Grand Prix - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
FEBRUARY 21, 2017 Too early for Verstappen title in 2017 Max Verstappen's father has played down the 19-year-old Dutchman's chances of winning the world championship in 2017. Red Bull is tipped to be Mercedes' closest challenger this year as the sport's technical rules change significantly, and Verstappen has been marked out as an obvious title winner of the future. But Max's father Jos, who also raced in F1, thinks it is "too early" for the championship this year. "Of course there is talk of a world title," the 44-year-old former Benetton driver said, "but my personal opinion is that it is still a year too early." However, Red Bull itself is confident Adrian Newey can ace the new aerodynamic rules, and team boss Christian Horner thinks Renault is now ready to step up to Mercedes' level of engine performance. "They have had a big winter," he said, referring to the French carmaker whose power units are rebranded as Tag-Heuer for Red Bull. Jos Verstappen agrees that 2017 should be a good year for the energy drink owned outfit. "Last year Max won in Spain, so hopefully he can win more races this year. I would like to see three or four, and I think it's possible," he told the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport Totaal. "Red Bull has always been strong with new rules, and with the information that I have, I think it looks really good." Jos said recently that Max has been training so hard that he is "exhausted" in the evenings. Verstappen senior adds now: "He has put on three or four kilos, mainly in muscle mass. You can see it on his neck and arms. "He is training really hard, but he had to because the cars will be much faster, especially in the corners."
I just hope the Mercedes can be properly challenged. Red Bull is likely to pose the biggest threat (And Ferrari possibly, IF their special engine works out with a big enough power advantage!). I honestly don't care which Red Bull driver will win it, I'm a huge fan of Ricciardo IMO along with Kimi, my favourite person on the grid. Max is just fantastic to watch and having someone to root for is pretty cool. He's pushing Ricciardo to the limit, made a few mistakes last year and also some bad luck cost him dearly, but all things being equal I do think that Verstappen will score more points.
Agreed... it would just be nice to see some competition... this is the pinnacle of motoracing after all. And how cool would it be for the race itself not to be decided after turn one? We can only hope.
Ferrari will not be in the fight. They are already losing control of their bowels even before testing and trying to get everybody else banned so they could race by themselves. Sad really!
With the recent rumour of Sebastian Vettel switching Teams to Mercedes AMG next year, Dr Helmut Marko has reiterated that Max is still contract bound. MAY 10, 2017 Verstappen cannot switch to Ferrari says Marko Red Bull insists there is no risk it could lose Max Verstappen to a rival team like Ferrari before his contract runs out. Former F1 driver Martin Brundle this week said he can sense the 19-year-old's "frustration" this year, as Red Bull struggles to match Ferrari and Mercedes. So there are rumours Verstappen could be poached by Ferrari, whose contracts with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen run out late this year. Although Dutchman Verstappen is under contract for 2018, one rumour is that his deal contains a clause that might let him leave Red Bull for performance reasons. But Red Bull driver manager Dr Helmut Marko told Germany's Auto Bild: "Contrary to all rumours, there is no performance clause in Verstappen's contract. "If we do not release him, he cannot switch to Ferrari."
Ferraris pockets are deeeeep. If they want max, they will have max. No point settling for second best.
