Damon Hill criticises Max Verstappen’s aggressive racecraft, calling for cleaner, skill-based racing in line with F1’s sporting values.
Hill was asked about Max Verstappen’s driving style, which has caused multiple collisions or off-track incidents over the years.
Most recently, he forced Lando Norris off track in Miami and attempted an off-track pass against Oscar Piastri in Jeddah.
Last year, he took Norris out several times, causing his retirement in Austria and forcing him off track in both the United States and Mexico.
The 1996 World Champion does not appreciate seeing such driving from the four-time world champion.
“I think when you are racing someone and you want to stop them from getting past, all you have to do is send your car to the inside. Even if the rules have not been written clearly enough to say you can’t do it, I don’t think that’s racing,” Hill lamented on the High Performance podcast.
“It’s a massive risk. Other people don’t do it, and if others don’t do it, then you are an outlier. Forcing people off the track just to stop someone from overtaking is not racing. That’s not racing, it’s just avoidance, or whatever else you want to call it.”
“We want to see skill and boldness. We want to see a surgical approach, not a sledgehammer blow. You don’t strike with a mallet — we want it done with a rapier. We want things done cleanly, efficiently, and beautifully.”
“You can’t just let the imagination run wild. Someone has to say, ‘Alright, we want to see racing, but we don’t want it to cross certain boundaries.’ There are rules in every sport.”
However, Hill is fully aware of Verstappen’s immense talent. When asked where he ranks the Dutchman, he says he places him among the all-time greats: “Right at the top.”
And the Briton does not rule out the possibility that Verstappen could be the greatest driver of all time:
“It’s possible. In terms of efficiency, preparation, maturity, speed, he’s a phenomenon. And there are very few phenomenal drivers.”
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