Top adversary named if Max Verstappen’s aggressive driving strikes again
Driver named who will be dragged into Max Verstappen's fiery antics
Max Verstappen came under scrutiny last year for his combative driving style.
Clashes with Lando Norris and George Russell brought criticism to the F1 champion.
However, Verstappen retained his drivers’ crown despite his Red Bull’s obvious performance issues - somewhat justifying his feisty antics.
His relationship - both on and off track - with Norris and Russell is likely to be tested again in the 2025 F1 season.
His old rival Lewis Hamilton could have a say if he is frequently at the front in his new Ferrari.
Our experts debate which driver will feel the brunt of Verstappen’s aggression this season…
Lewis Larkam: “If Verstappen and Hamilton find themselves in title contention this year, I would expect to see more fireworks between the pair.
“Remember what happened back in 2021 when they endured a fierce season-long battle?
“They even managed to dramatically clash in Hungary last season when they weren’t direct rivals.
“Verstappen and Hamilton appear to be a magnet to each other when fighting over the same piece of tarmac.
“Ultimately, Verstappen will be aggressive with whichever driver he finds himself battling with for wins and the championship - it's just in the Dutchman's nature."
Connor McDonagh: “We’ve only seen Verstappen being incredibly aggressive when he’s in title contention. So the obvious answer would be Norris.
“However, given their beef at the end of 2024 and the fall-out off-track, any battles between Verstappen and Russell are likely going to be the most interesting.
“Russell has shown he’s not afraid to back down, making it a tantalising prospect if they go head-to-head.”
Lewis Duncan: “Max Verstappen is hardly going to play nice with anyone if he finds himself in a combat scenario. But the crumbling relationship between himself and George Russell will almost certainly lead to hard moments on-track this year.
"Verstappen has downplayed the fallout somewhat, but these are drivers that have had previous even before last year’s Qatar fallout - remember the Azerbaijan sprint from 2023?
"If there’s one thing Verstappen has shown repeatedly over the years is how he likes to prove he is the tougher driver.
"But Russell especially is likely to be on the receiving end of some hard racing, which Verstappen knows will also rial up Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff - who isn’t exactly the Dutchman’s or Red Bull’s biggest fan."
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