Damon Hill takes aim at Red Bull over Max Verstappen: “His team will never criticise…”

1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill has called on Red Bull to have a “conversation” with Max Verstappen after his aggressive driving at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Verstappen picked up 20 seconds worth of penalties in Mexico for two incidents with F1 title rival Lando Norris.

Verstappen pushed Norris off at Turn 4 before attempting a ridiculous lunge into Turn 7 moments later.

The Dutchman has been heavily criticised as a result, with fellow Sky pundit Martin Brundle warning Verstappen that he risks tarnishing his F1 “legacy”.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Hill questioned the way Red Bull have dealt with their star driver, claiming “it almost appears as though Max is free to do whatever he likes.”

“There's never any attempt to publicly describe his driver in a way that other people would recognise it," Hill said.

“It is always a protective comment from Christian about Max. It almost appears as though Max is free to do whatever he likes.

“His team will never criticise the way he drives. And I think if you're in a competition, that's probably fine to do that publicly.

“But really, at some point, there has to be a conversation. It's the responsibility of the team to also contribute to the driver's attitude.”

Verstappen’s driving has been linked to Ayrton Senna, with Hill describing the Brazilian's tactics as “very brutal”.

Hill added: “Ayrton Senna was very brutal with some of his tactics and his aggressiveness, and that was questioned at the time as well, the way he drove.

“I'm about to go to Brazil so I don't want to upset any Senna fans, but they know that he was a formidable competitor, and sometimes the anger in him got the better of him.

“That's where the FIA or the sporting authorities have to step in. They have to be able say, 'OK, we want competition and see that fierceness, but it has to be controlled.'

“It can't just be a demolition derby just to keep your place, or deny everyone getting a place just because you don't want to be overtaken, so there needs to be a way of disciplining the driver.

“I think Max, if he carries on like that, there will be long-term questions over whether or not it was wise for him to drive like that. He's got so much talent, he's got so much ability. He could always use that skill to defeat his opponents. It shouldn't just be a dodgems race.”