'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former F1 world champion Damon Hill has called out Max Verstappen for his driving style during his battle with Lando Norris at the 2024 F1 US GP and Mexican GP. Both drivers are currently fighting for the drivers' world championship.
In the race in Austin, Verstappen and Norris locked horns right from the start and also went side-by-side in the latter stages. While racing each other hard, both went off the track on Lap 52. The McLaren driver overtook Verstappen off the track and kept the place long enough for the FIA to penalize him with a five-second penalty.
The tussle between the two continued as F1 reached Mexico. On Lap 10 of the race, Lando Norris tried to overtake Max Verstappen like he did in Austin. He went around the outside of the Red Bull driver and tried to out-brake him. However, Verstappen closed the door on Norris and did not give him any space to overtake. The McLaren driver was forced to go off the track but once again overtook Verstappen in the process.
Trending
Max Verstappen regained the position in an aggressive manner since Lando Norris was not slowing down to give the place back. As a result of his ferocious maneuvers, the Dutchman was hit with two 10-second penalties and finished the race at P6.
Amid their heated wheel-to-wheel battles, former F1 driver Damon Hill has shared his take on Max Verstappen's driving style. Speaking on the 'Sky Sports F1' podcast, he discussed how the Red Bull driver completely closed the door on Norris on Turn 4 at the Mexican GP when the McLaren driver first attempted an overtake.
"On the exit of Turn four, he clearly makes a B-line for the edge of the track to prevent Lando from having any chance at all. The aerial footage is very clear to me, he made no attempt to back off and make the corner and leave room for Lando. It was just simply a case of, you know, 'You're not coming through,' and that's okay, but is it what we want to see as a sport?" Hill questioned (at 21:17).
Damon Hill went on to claim that Verstappen cannot race fairly since his philosophy is cut-throat and aggressive.
"It is possible to race fairly and that is something I'm not sure that Max is capable of. It's not in his repertoire, it's not in his philosophy. His philosophy is, 'You're not coming past,'" he added.
Max Verstappen more worried about Red Bull's pace than his 20-second penalty at the Mexican GP
Max Verstappen talked about how he was more concerned about Red Bull's race pace than the fact that he was hit with a 20-second penalty for his aggressive moves against Lando Norris in Mexico.
Speaking to F1.com, the Red Bull star said:
"I mean at the end of the day, if you agree with it or not, it does not matter because the penalties are given. That's not my biggest problem in the race. Our biggest problem was that we just had no pace. We were struggling a lot on the tires, so couldn't really attack, could not follow Ferrari and McLaren."
Max Verstappen continues to lead the drivers' championship with 362 points, while Lando Norris is in second place with 315 points.
