“Sometimes you have to be a bit of an a**hole”: Tom Coronel approves Max Verstappen’s attitude in the bumpy 2024 season

Former Dutch driver Tom Coronel defended his fellow countryman Max Verstappen's driving in the 2024 season as he claimed that sometimes a driver has to be an "a**hole". The Red Bull driver secured his fourth successive world championship this year after he held off the challenge from McLaren driver Lando Norris.

After a flying start to his 2024 campaign, in which he won seven of the first 10 races, the 27-year-old struggled as the performance of his RB20 dropped from the European leg.

However, Verstappen was meticulous about getting maximum points from every race weekend and sometimes even went overboard to hold on to his position, like in the USA and Mexico.

Speaking with RacingNews365, Coronel spoke about Max Verstappen's controversial moments on track this year and termed them as a part of the champion's mindset. He said:

"I think that's a real champion. You have to be a bit of an asshole sometimes, a kind of lout. Just selfish. That's the only way to let people know that you're the champion and that they have to remember that.

"Then you're actually already one-nil ahead, even when the 2025 season starts. Because when they see Max in their mirrors, they think: ' damn it, he's just going to eat me up.' He just throws his car in between."

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F1 pundit gives his take on Max Verstappen's world title in 2024

F1 pundit Tom Coronel stated that he would still pick Max Verstappen 2021's title as the best of the four due to the emotions attached to that moment.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the Dutchman mentioned that he was crying after the 2021 triumph against Lewis Hamilton, saying:

"Jos thought this was the best, but still thought 2021 was the best. But of course, that was true, I was there! I cried like a little child, like many Dutch people. Wait a minute, that's not my fault!

However, he recognized that the Red Bull driver's 2024 campaign had more severe challenges in terms of the car's performance, adding

"But this year he had to fight for it more. He had to be smarter and when it had to happen he gave everyone the decisive blow on the nose. I also enjoyed watching the tug-of-war and boxing with the organization. But yes, also the calm he was able to keep by simply finishing fifth at one point."

Max Verstappen could only win two more times in the last 14 races but went on to secure the title after he finished P5 at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Dutch driver ultimately finished sixth three points ahead of Norris with 437 points to his name.