The Max Verstappen case: is he really going too far?

Your vote, dear readers, was almost unanimous at the end of this race: consulted since Sunday, nearly 95% of you, believe that Max Verstappen’s driving at Spa was simply “dangerous”. Therefore, we wanted to revisit in detail what happened on track with the Red Bull driver.

And in the end, nobody won

Little reminder: at the start of this Belgian Grand Prix, Verstappen started on the front row alongside Nico Rosberg, on the outside of the track, while the Ferrari drivers started from the second row: Räikkönen in third on the outside, Vettel fourth on the inside. As the lights went out, he was slower off the mark and the Ferraris overtook him. However, the winner of the Spanish Grand Prix decided to dive on the inside, and a few meters before reaching the La Source corner, the three drivers were already side by side. Verstappen was on the inside, Vettel on the outside, and Räikkönen was stuck between the two.

In this legendary hairpin, a “funnel,” the inevitable happened: the three drivers touched. The German, sideways, had to stop and pray that no other competitor would hit him; meanwhile, the Red Bull and Ferrari rivals remained neck and neck toward the Raidillon — but at what cost? At that moment, everything seemed lost for them: Vettel restarted last, Verstappen lost half of his front wing, and Räikkönen was scraping the track with his floor. The latter two pitted to repair their respective cars. At the end of the first lap, our three protagonists were at the back of the pack: (Verstappen: 16th, Vettel: 19th, Räikkönen: 21st).

Viewing the images multiple times is necessary and from different angles. In the end, we realize that it’s indeed Vettel on the outside who tightened and touched Räikkönen; who, in turn, collided with Verstappen. In this case, despite the audacity to position himself at the limit on the inside, the fault is shared with the German, who was looking for a perfect, yet improbable trajectory in a three-wide situation. At the race interruption, he argued with Christian Horner: “I was on the inside, Vettel was trying to get past Räikkönen who hit me.” To which Horner agreed: “It’s not Kimi’s fault. Sebastian didn’t leave him enough space.”

If you wish to review and understand the incident in detail, here is the best way:

VIDEO: Was anyone to blame for the chaos at La Source on Sunday?

We take a closer look> https://t.co/W4vepLMMKk pic.twitter.com/QjogRSDYoP — Formula 1 (@F1) https://twitter.com/F1/status/770291212657930241

Verstappen – Räikkönen Act 1: “Move aside so I can get in”

Three laps after the restart following the red flag wave for Magnussen’s off-track incident, Räikkönen and Verstappen find themselves in the 12th lap: the Finn takes the lead on the Kemmel straight. However, in another controversial maneuver by the Dutchman, he delays his braking to the maximum on the inside and simply pushes “Iceman” off the track at the entrance of Les Combes, leaving him no room. Worse, Verstappen’s maneuver is so aggressive that he himself has to climb the inside curb, while Räikkönen has to shortcut the chicanes off-track, re-emerging ahead of the Red Bull; immediately on the radio, we hear: “Do I have to let the Red Bull pass when it was the one that pushed me off the track?” The Ferrari driver takes no risks and lets the young driver pass.

This time, Verstappen cannot be consciously defended. Delaying a braking point is one thing to defend his position, but doing it to the extent of forcing another driver off the track is another matter. Moreover, we remember the penalty Rosberg received at Hockenheim for a similar maneuver against this same number 33. However, the difference is as follows: Rosberg was the chasing driver and Verstappen the one being chased. After this overtaking maneuver, Rosberg didn’t give back the position, which then provoked the stewards’ anger.

Verstappen – Räikkönen act 2: An action close to a drama

We remember the incident in Hungary at the end of July: the Dutchman was, at that time, known for changing his trajectory at the last moment during braking while Räikkönen was trying to overtake him. A repeat of that scenario occurred this weekend, but in the middle of the straight line. One lap after act 1, again on the Kemmel straight, with DRS open in Verstappen’s slipstream; at the crucial moment when the Ferrari driver pulls out and starts to overtake, the Dutchman also changes his line and violently blocks the Finn. Fortunately for him, the four-time Spa winner slows down and avoids hitting the Red Bull. During this action at over 320km/h, the Red Bull could have taken off into the Ardennes forest.

This maneuver at very high speed is certainly not formally prohibited by the FIA, which allows a driver to change his trajectory once to defend his position. However, the difference lies between the art and spirit of this regulation: Verstappen’s way of proceeding is considerably excessive and very dangerous. His behavior is only saved by Räikkönen’s lifesaving reflex, once again furious behind the wheel: « It’s ridiculous! ». After the race: « I am for fair racing and battles side by side, but when I had to brake after Eau Rouge while we were at full speed and he turned in front of me, it’s not correct in my opinion. »

Never two without three: this time against Pérez

Definitely, the Kemmel climb/Les Combes entry sequence seems to be Verstappen’s favorite playground! This latest incident went a bit more unnoticed, but the young driver was at it again on the 25th lap. This time, his opponent was Sergio Pérez. After his second pit stop, the Force India driver rejoined just behind our accused of the day. Like Räikkönen, Pérez attempted an overtake on the Red Bull driver on the straight. Once again, Verstappen delayed his braking to the maximum on the inside and pulled his special move “get off the track so I can pass,” forcing Pérez, like Räikkönen, to shortcut the S; except this time, there was actual contact between the left front tire of the Red Bull and the right front tire of the Force India.

In the end, Pérez, who did not give up his position here, was not stopped in his advance towards the top 5, while Verstappen made a new friend in the pack. We repeat once more: defending one’s position is normal, but even defended here by the FIA, wasn’t he crossing the line with these maneuvers?

For this, a brief interlude of a similar incident from another prominent driver on the grid: Lewis Hamilton. At Suzuka last season, during the first corner, Hamilton forced Rosberg to put all four wheels outside the kerb. Not penalized by the FIA either, the world champion at the end of that season defended himself against rising criticisms: “You can ask any world champion, if you are on the outside you have to move over.” If we follow the words of the Briton, Verstappen’s maneuvers are acceptable.

Four in a row against Vettel!

Change of scene this time: a lap after Pérez, it’s the quadruple world champion’s turn to appear in the Red Bull’s mirrors. An old acquaintance since the controversial start at La Source, the Ferrari driver attacks at the exit of Blanchimont before the final Bus Stop chicane. But Verstappen blocks his wheels to the end and closes the inside of the corner with authority against a faster Vettel. A few hundred meters later, the German falters by losing to Verstappen at the DRS. Like Räikkönen earlier, he tries again the following lap, and this time, a miracle, Vettel manages to pass at La Source! Ironically, he gives him a taste of his own medicine by squeezing him assertively.

This time, although the maneuver by the former Toro Rosso driver was within the rules, the way he demonstrates his skills at the limit of danger is unsettling, and it’s getting harder to swallow.

The Wrath of the Greats of This World!

Even Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff tempered his laudatory remarks about the Red Bull driver afterward: “It’s refreshing to me. He’s a young boy I appreciate immensely. He comes here fearless, without respect, he elbows his way through and reminds me in this sense of the greatest. The only consequence is that he was heavily criticized during the drivers’ briefing. It will probably be worse next time, I just fear it might end violently in a wall the next time: it must be acknowledged that it’s dangerous.”

For the rest, other figures in the Formula 1 world have taken it upon themselves to reignite the controversy. Jacques Villeneuve didn’t mince his words: What happened at the start in Belgium was predictable because there’s not enough room to try to surprise from the inside. It’s racing, but when he says others ruined his race, that’s not correct. What he did twice to Kimi on the straight, then to Vettel, he needs to calm down. Someone is going to end up getting killed.

In the same tone, Niki Lauda simply thinks that Max needs a shrink if he says it’s Kimi’s fault! Cleverly, the Mercedes F1 advisor puts pressure on Red Bull, the rival team of the Star firm. He is full of talent, but he can’t distinguish right from wrong. I will talk to his father Jos, so he can have a little conversation with his son.

The mass now seems to have been said, Max Verstappen endured a first “home” Grand Prix and brought all possible excitement to the Belgian round. Calm will, we hope, gradually return to the paddock. Sebastian Vettel himself acknowledged in an interview: « *We are not in a kindergarten, we are not here to cry “can you give him a penalty”. We are here to race.* ».

Verstappen thus becomes a serious competitor in the race, and his ability to defend his position will once again allow him to shine. As Toto Wolff shows: « His rivals are starting to think twice about how to overtake him. All he has proven so far is that he does it well, the FIA has not penalized him. »

Max Verstappen has indeed gone too far, but…

Finally, the case of this young virtuoso of the wheel is both general and singular.

Jos’s son wants to quickly become a distinguished driver in his discipline by conquering the world championship title, as did the greatest in this sport. From this perspective, there is no room for compromise, to quote Lewis Hamilton: you can’t be nice to your opponents by saying, “hey, come, there’s a little space here.” If there is an opportunity, you must seize it.

Through his strong character and statements, particularly at Hockenheim or Spa, Verstappen embodies this approach, which of course marked Ayrton Senna: “this must be my path.”

The current context of Formula 1 involves searching for a hero. The audience is steadily declining, criticisms are flying about the behavior of the cars or the tires, and Mercedes’ domination is becoming tiresome in the eyes of the majority… With his audacity, and as Toto Wolff pointed out, Formula 1 needs such a driver. Aren’t his wheel-to-wheel battles with his opponents the ones we sometimes crave desperately, especially when the FIA imposes penalties left and right?

Now under fire from critics, Max Verstappen’s end of season will certainly take two distinctly different paths. If the Red Bull driver manages to moderate his tactics, particularly in defending his positions while maintaining his natural speed, he will once again be back at the top.

In which case, a misplaced enthusiasm could lead him to spectacular crashes: the fall could be even harsher, even if the support shown by Helmut Marko will certainly be much stronger than it was for Daniil Kyvat after Sochi in early May…