"Shame if his legacy is to be labeled as an unfair driver" - Martin Brundle says Max Verstappen's reputation is at risk

Max Verstappen’s reputation might be at risk, according to Sky Sports TV Pundit Martin Brundle. The former F1 driver, who is a strong supporter of the Dutchman’s talent, feels the driver might have to change his edgy tactics of driving before it dents his reputation and denies him a good legacy.

Writing in his column on Sky Sports, Martin Brundle praised Max Verstappen’s skill, yet warned him and said:

“His touch and control behind the wheel is something to behold, but it saddens me that he's resorting to such tactics, he's better than that. And for all his outwardly carefree attitude it will be such a shame if his legacy is to be labelled as an unfair driver.”

In the same column, Brundle mentioned how he championed Max Verstappen’s talent since the Chinese Grand Prix in 2015, where the Dutchman drove with Toro Rosso. According to Brundle, it's the Red Bull driver’s immense car control skills that enables him to pull off the "audacious moves" on-track, that can be categorized in the gray area between ‘hard racing’ and a foul.

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Max Verstappen risks having a dented reputation as his predecessors Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, says Martin Brundle

The ex-F1 driver, who has driven alongside legends such as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, compared Max Verstappen to them. He said that although they were great, some of their faults dented their reputation immensely.

Explaining the reputation of Senna and Schumacher in comparison to Max Verstappen, Martin Brundle said:

“Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher had their faults too, and I was on the receiving end from both of them on occasions, but it's a sizeable dent on their immense reputations, not a positive.”

According to Brundle, incidents such as the one in Brazil at Lap 48 have created confusion, controversies and inconsistencies, which Max Verstappen can avoid. Indirectly, the TV pundit encouraged the Dutchman to nail the title in the last race without having to use any aggressive tactics.