Ex-F1 driver believes Max Verstappen has outdone Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna's rules of engagement

Former Swedish F1 driver Stefan Johansson believes Max Verstappen has outdone Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna’s on-track code of conduct with his racing style. The multiple Grand Prix winner blamed track layouts as the reason for most of the incidents and controversies which have confused the stewards about the implementation of penalties.

Explaining Verstappen’s driving style compared to previous champions, Johansson said:

“The issue we have right now on track is that Max has taken the Senna playbook and the Schumacher playbook to a whole new level. Generally, I think there’s a good code of conduct between the drivers. Most of the current crop of the new generation of drivers are racing very clean but hard, there’s been some really great battles this year but they’re not at the front and therefore it goes unnoticed for the most part.”

Senna and Schumacher were both known to engage in hard racing and had a reputation for being ruthless towards their opponents. Johannson, however, believes the Dutchman might have outdone the two champions in the rules of engagement on track. The Swede is also of the opinion that the new world champion still has a long way to go in comparison.

The critical point in Max Verstappen’s driving style is the "no yielding" policy when he has gone wheel-to-wheel with his opponents. This has led to his driving style often being categorized in the gray areas between hard racing and dirty driving.

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Former F1 driver believes Max Verstappen-like controversial incidents can be avoided in future

The large tarmac run-off area in Brazil excused Max Verstappen from a penalty by the stewards, whereas if it were a gravel run-off area the lap 48 incident would have caused serious damage and incurred a penalty. Former McLaren driver Stefan Johansson, however, believes changing track layouts and reducing run-off areas could define penalties or provide a framework for restructuring the rules of engagement on track.

Suggesting improvements to avoid controversial incidents like Max Verstappen's, Johansson said:

“A lot of these incidents would automatically be avoided if they changed the design of the tracks and got rid of the huge run-off areas, we currently have on nearly all the tracks. When you have a run-off area the size of two football fields, and no clear rule of what is or is not allowed it becomes a complete joke. It’s then up to the guys in race control to decide what is right or wrong. It’s a horribly flawed system and there must be a way to avoid this going forward.”

With inconsistent stewarding throughout the 2021 season, the F1 and FIA are under immense pressure to define the rules of engagement and racing standards for the 2022 season.