"Niki Lauda drove with his mind, not his fists": Damon Hill takes a subtle dig at Max Verstappen

Ex-F1 champion Damon Hill threw shade at Max Verstappen while comparing his personality to late legend Niki Lauda. Hill felt that while Verstappen's personality is as direct as Lauda's, the latter was far less aggressive than the four-time world champion.

Late Niki Lauda is a renowned name in F1, having won three world championships in his decade-long career. During his racing days, the Austrian was known to be a fierce and opinionated person. In the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix, Lauda withdrew from the race, citing unsafe track conditions, which reportedly led to friction with his team, Ferrari. That marked his exit from Ferrari as he joined Brabham for the following season.

Meanwhile, former four-time world champion Alain Prost recently compared Lauda's personality to Max Verstappen. He opined that both Lauda and Verstappen are opinionated and honest (as quoted by RMC Motori):

"Max is like Niki (Lauda) when it comes to directness; there is no doubt about that. If you asked Lauda anything, the answer was always honest. Verstappen is a very engaging man, he says what he thinks," Prost said.

However, ex-F1 legend Damon Hill seemed to partially disagree with Prost's statement, as he took a dig at Verstappen's aggressive style and wrote:

"I agree with that (Alain Prost's statement). He never misses a beat, but Lauda drove with his mind not his fists."

Screenshot of Damon Hill's IG story [Image Source: @96f1champ/Instagram]

Hill has never been a fan of Verstappen's driving style. Last year, he accused the Dutchman of using fear and intimidation while hard-racing his rivals. This happened after Max was penalized twice for running Lando Norris off the track at the Mexico Grand Prix. The former champion also said that Red Bull needed to take some responsibility and hold Verstappen accountable for his actions.

However, Max responded to the criticism, saying he only listens to advice from people close to him, as others are just annoying to him.

---

Max Verstappen on criticism of his racing attitude: 'Just how I am'

Max Verstappen at F1 Grand Prix Of Australia (Image Source: Getty)

Max Verstappen, present four-time world champion, has faced criticism for his driving style, which is on the aggressive side. However, in an interview with The Guardian published on Friday, March 14, Verstappen defended his attitude, saying:

“I do whatever is needed. I try to always go for it when I think it’s right to do so. It’s just how I am. I will always go for it when I think it’s possible, whatever other people call it. You might agree with it or not, but I just battle the way I think I need to battle," he said.

This year, Max Verstappen will be chasing his fifth drivers championship title. The Dutchman had a strong start to the 2025 season, finishing P2 in the Australian Grand Prix held on Sunday, March 16.