Max Verstappen “second punch” lesson taken from Michael Schumacher scrap

A lesson from Michael Schumacher’s aggressive heyday has been handed down to Max Verstappen’s rivals.

Damon Hill fought the mighty Schumacher tooth and nail in the 90s, going wheel-to-wheel on-track but also dealing with his mind games off-track.

Williams’ Hill won the 1996 drivers’ title, in Schumacher’s first season in a Ferrari. But overall he felt the brunt of his fearsome rival.

Hill now wants to hand advice to challengers of current F1 champion Verstappen.

Michael Schumacher 'made mincemeat' of Damon Hill

“I got embroiled in tit-for-tats with Michael and he just made mincemeat of me,” Hill told The Telegraph.

“Not only did he beat me on track, he beat me off it, too, which was humiliating.

“So my advice would be, if there’s not a fight, don’t go and find one.

“And if you do, be prepared. Some people are better equipped for that world than others.

“Guys like Fernando [Alonso], and Max as well, if you want to go into battle with those guys, first of all, you better beat them on track.

“And secondly, you better be ready for the second punch, because it’s coming.”

Last year, Verstappen’s combative nature came to the fore when the dominance of his Red Bull waned.

McLaren took over the constructors’ championship and Lando Norris was a serious threat to Verstappen’s drivers’ title.

Verstappen resorted to aggressive driving to keep Norris at bay, and Hill was a vocal critic of his methods.

Verstappen and Norris’ friendship even took a blow as they fiercely squabbled over the championship.

They have apparently patched up their relationship, laughing and joking at a press conference during pre-season testing about a “fight in a local pub”.

But Norris also insists he has learned lessons from his first year as a genuine F1 title challenger.

He might enter next week’s Australian Grand Prix with the fastest car but, as Hill reminded him, he must be prepared for Verstappen’s off-track tricks too.