Three-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has responded to recent criticism ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Dutch driver has faced scrutiny following his performance at the Mexican Grand Prix, where he received two 10-second penalties for incidents involving fellow racer Lando Norris.
In Mexico City, Verstappen’s on-track maneuvers, particularly involving Lando Norris, sparked a wave of commentary from the motorsport community. 1996 Formula 1 champion Damon Hill commented during an appearance on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, as reported by BBC Sport:
“The area footage is very clear.
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“He made no attempt to back off and make the corner and leave room for Lando. It was simply a case of you are not coming through.
“The second move was just daft and Dick Dastardly stuff. He accelerated to the apex and drove Lando off the track and Lando didn’t have much option. That was silly driving.”
Whilst speaking to the media in Sao Paulo, Verstappen responded, as reported by Racer:
“I don’t listen to those individuals, I just do my thing. I’m a three-time world champion. I think I know what I’m doing.”
Verstappen, however, remains undeterred. When asked about the critiques levied against him, Verstappen explained:
“I’ve heard before in my career. It’s my 10th year in Formula 1. Some people are just a bit biased and I mean — I get it, it’s fine. But it’s not my problem at the end of the day. I just continue with my life and I keep performing.”
He added:
“People that are objective and close to me and not just there to stir… I can’t say the word because I’ll probably get another [penalty].
“Apparently it only counts for me anyway, because after the race in Mexico, someone was swearing — I didn’t hear anything from it! So, it’s better I don’t swear again.
“But some people are just being very annoying and I know who these people are. I don’t really pay a lot of attention to them anyway and I think I’ve got to this stage in my career with the right people supporting me and making my own decisions. Yeah, so I think I know what I’m doing.”
With sharp comments on racing regulations, Verstappen enters into a broader discussion about the rules governing Formula 1.
“I think it’s not that straightforward. Clearly, even between how many seconds that you get. So, sometimes they work for you, sometimes they work against you.
“I think it’s never going to be perfect because even if you remove rules, then you get into a battle, then you want more rules because it’s not clear what is allowed or not. Then when you have too many rules, you want less rules. It just keeps on going left and right all the time.
“Do I think it’s overregulated? Probably yes. In general, the rulebook is only getting bigger and bigger every single year, I don’t think that’s always the right way forward.”