Max Verstappen: Damon Hill says no F1 vendetta behind Red Bull driver criticism as people just want 'fair racing'
"If everybody was doing this, it would be daft, it would be silly and it wouldn't be worth watching," says Damon Hill after criticism of Max Verstappen's driving in Mexico; watch Sao Paulo GP Sprint at 2pm and GP Qualifying at 6pm on Saturday, live on Sky Sports F1
Friday 1 November 2024 18:25, UK
Damon Hill says criticism of Max Verstappen's driving from within Formula 1 is "not a vendetta" against the Red Bull driver and instead stems from people wanting to see "racing conducted in a reasonable and fair way".
The build-up to this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix has been dominated by continued talk and fallout from last week's dramatic race in Mexico, when Verstappen received two separate 10-second time penalties for incidents with Lando Norris which forced his title rival off the track.
Hill, the 1996 world champion and Sky Sports F1 pundit, was among those who rebuked Verstappen's driving afterwards. When asked about such criticism in Thursday's press conference, the Red Bull driver responded that "I don't listen to those individuals" before adding: "I'm a three-time world champion. I think I know what I'm doing."
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Speaking during Sky Sports F1's live Sao Paulo GP coverage on Friday, Hill said complaints about Verstappen's driving had actually been widespread.
"When he makes the point about individuals, it's not individuals, it's almost universal disapproval - that's the point," said Hill.
"It's not a vendetta against Max, it's simply the people who watch the racing want it to be conducted in a reasonable and fair way.
"If everybody was doing this, it would be daft, it would be silly and it wouldn't be worth watching. We like close racing.
"We're here in Sao Paulo, this is where it all started a little bit in 2021, with him running deep into Turn Four [against Lewis Hamilton], and everyone went, 'hang on a minute, you can't just [push] the guy clean off the road to defend.' And he's still doing it."
Indeed, on that front, Hill believes Verstappen has not changed in wheel-to-wheel combat since he made his debut aged 17 in 2015.
"I'm clear about what I understand Max to be and he's been consistent from the moment he arrived in Formula 1," added Hill.
"He was using what were regarded as dangerous tactics, and regulations have been brought in to clear up some of the things that he has brought upon himself because of the way he drives."
On Thursday, Verstappen also said "you win some, you lose some" in response to a question about whether aggression was a central part of racing and winning championships.
Analysing that comment, Hill said: "I think that he's using fear and intimidation but he also has explained a little bit more about his tactics, which has been that he regards it as a gamble. Sometimes it may pay off, sometimes he may get the better of the stewards - they might not apply a penalty.
"And he's also using it as a way of compromising the title contender in Lando Norris. So there's some logic, there's some method to his angriness, if you want to call it that, on the track.
"But as he says, he knows what he's doing, but is it right and is it fair? There's also a rule somewhere in the regulations that says that everyone has to ensure fairness when driving and we shouldn't be condoning driving cars off the track."
Horner: Max and Red Bull want to race hard and fair
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insisted that both they and Verstappen also wanted a clean conclusion to this year's title fight, while reiterating his view that F1's guidelines over overtaking needed to be tidied up after repeat controversies in Austin and Mexico.
When asked by Hill whether Verstappen considered it a 'good tactic' to effectively try his luck with the rule book and stewards in order to try to gain a racing advantage over Norris, Horner replied: "Not at all. We want to go and race hard and fair.
"That incident, amongst others, will no doubt get discussed. Of course, what you also want is consistency. We saw several incidents similar to that, some went punished, some went unpunished.
"This is where the race director and the drivers no doubt will sit down and discuss this because we all want to see a good fight to the end of the championship.
"Max wants it, we as a team want it, but the rules of engagement have got to be clear - and it shouldn't be overcomplicated. It doesn't need to be like a cricket manual for an overtake.
"They just need to keep it simple."
Horner said Verstappen was simply driving on "the instincts of a race driver" gained during his racing career.
"Max will always go for the gap, will always be hard at the apex of a corner," added Horner.
"Max has been racing for 20 years now and the inside line, going for the apex, he's controlling the corner at that point. That's what he would have done throughout his career. Now, I don't dispute the second one [in Mexico], but the first one for me is just hard racing.
"He is driving on instinct at that point in time and from all the experience you've drawn on your earlier career, he's not thinking about a rulebook at that point of a braking zone. He's fighting to try and keep his position."
Sky Sports F1's live Sao Paulo GP schedule
Saturday November 2
1pm: Sao Paulo GP Sprint build-up
2pm: Sao Paulo GP Sprint
3.30pm: Ted's Sprint Notebook
5pm: Sao Paulo Qualifying build-up
6pm: Sao Paulo GP Qualifying
8pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook
Sunday November 3
3.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Sao Paulo GP build-up
5pm: THE SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
7pm: Chequered Flag: Sao Paulo GP reaction
8pm: Ted's Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1's Americas triple header concludes this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime
