EXCLUSIVEPeople don't back me because F1 is full of Brits, Max Verstappen tells JONATHAN McEVOY… as world champion reveals what he really thought of Christian Horner saga
- The F1 world champion insists to Mail Sport that he is unfazed by his critics
It may not go down well across the old World War Two airfield in front of more than 160,000 patriotic fans, but Max Verstappen is the best driver in the world.
He sits in the Red Bull motorhome, a floor up, relaxed on a sofa, away from the noise. He can smile and laugh, and exhibits a champion’s resilience not to care for popularity. He has plenty of acclaim in Holland, but even that he could live without. Here at the British Grand Prix, he is more likely to be booed than cheered this weekend.
Over at the Farm site on the Silverstone estate, where Verstappen and several other drivers are staying, he is oblivious to the festival atmosphere. In his motorhome, he sits on his simulator driving into the early hours. His headphones protect him from the cacophony. ‘I didn’t even know there was music playing,’ says Verstappen.
The loud accompaniment on the journey to this weekend’s race has been the spat with Lando Norris, the highly talented 24-year-old McLaren driver who carries the weightiest burden of home expectations and was quickest in both of Friday's practice sessions. The pair crashed in Austria last Sunday as they vied for the lead. Norris called his pal’s stubborn defence ‘reckless, stupid and desperate’, accusing him of moving under braking, thus of contradicting the rules and endangering them both.
To recap quickly: Verstappen was handed a 10-second penalty for not leaving a car’s width to Norris. It’s true he didn’t, but as Norris later admitted he could have used more of the kerb himself to avoid contact. The two talked the next day and again on Wednesday and patched up their differences. Norris then backtracked in his press commitments on Thursday, a climbdown that invited the impression that he had yielded a psychological advantage to the 26-year-old Dutchman.
World champion Max Verstappen is unfazed by his critics ahead of the Silverstone Grand Prix
Verstappen and Lando Norris (left) have engaged in a war of words following their dramatic collision at the Austrian Grand Prix
Norris was forced to retire shortly after and hit out at Verstappen, who is a great friend of his
Norris slammed Verstappen and said it could impact their friendship unless he apologises
‘I don’t listen to whatever anyone else has to say criticising me or being positive,’ says Verstappen defiantly. ‘I’m here with my team and the people who are involved with my success – they’re who I listen to and speak to to judge my performances.
‘Everyone can have their opinion. That’s fine. That’s not going to define how I live my life off track or how I behave on it.’
But the triple world champion reasons that the British bias in the sport – seven of the 10 teams are based in England’s ‘Motorsport Valley’ – has played its part in demonising him.
‘Eighty to 85 per cent of the press in F1 is English,’ he says. ‘So you have quite a dominant force with that. In the back of their minds, most would prefer their national driver to do well or in the case of an incident naturally pick the side of their countryman.
‘Ex-drivers, most of them are British so it’s a bit of a one-sided affair.’
As have the past couple of seasons been. Last year, Verstappen won 19 of 22 races. This year he has won seven out of 11 and leads Norris in the championship by 81 points. But it is closer than last year with the Somerset-born challenger a consistent threat in machinery at least a match for the Red Bulls. Recent races have been gripping, not least as Norris has grown in confidence since his maiden victory in Miami.
Are Red Bull, though, distracted by the scandal that gripped the sport in the early part of the year, when team principal Christian Horner was accused (and cleared in an internal investigation) of sending sexually suggestive messages to a female colleague?
The furore rumbles on with Verstappen’s father Jos, a combative ex-Formula One racer, a constant critic of Horner. Only a week ago, tensions erupted again when Jos accused his nemesis of objecting to his participation in a parade of old cars at the Red Bull Ring.
The furore around Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, left, has continued to rumble on
Verstappen's father Jos, pictured, continues to be a vocal constant critic of Horner
Verstappen insists he wants to stay at Red Bull, where he has a contract until 2028
‘With the way I grew up, these kind of things won’t unsettle me,’ said Verstappen, whose parents divorced when he was nine. ‘For me these are quite minor disturbances. I know how to focus on the race and how to get the best performance out of myself, even with what might be going on in the background.
‘That said, it’s always nice to have a fully friendly environment. Everyone was talking about it (the scandal) at the beginning of the year but it definitely improved a lot up until this point.
‘Then came the last race. I’m confident even that will be sorted out. Sometimes you need to give it a bit of time and not get too emotional about it.’
For now, he wants to stay at Red Bull, where he has a contract until 2028. But Mercedes wait in the wings. Verstappen takes a practical view of his future, saying: ‘I always look at it from a performance side of things. As well as at the people around me and the working relationship I have with them. It’s a whole team effort. It’s very important for us to try to keep that group together. For the moment that is the case.’
But on one subject, he will not budge. Jos is going nowhere. ‘For sure,’ says Verstappen of the man who reared him as a young karter with care and tough love.
‘He’s not coming to every single Grand Prix nowadays, naturally, because of having a family and racing himself in rallying,’ adds Max. ‘We are a family. He’s always been there for me and that will never change.’
