F1 Pundit Declares Max Verstappen’s ‘Aggression’ Will Not Disappear Amid Spanish GP Fallout

Former F1 driver Christijan Albers insisted that Max Verstappen's aggressive style of racing was unlikely to change after the Spanish GP clash with George Russell.

F1 Pundit Declares Max Verstappen’s ‘Aggression’ Will Not Disappear Amid Spanish GP Fallout

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

Max Verstappen is at the center of attention for the wrong reasons after the Spanish GP. During the Barcelona race, the reigning world champion made a controversial move on George Russell, with the two making contact. Since then, the Dutch driver has received immense criticism for his driving. Though, former F1 driver Christijan Albers reckons that Verstappen’s aggressive approach to racing will never change.

At the Spanish GP, a late Safety Car ruined Max Verstappen‘s race strategy. The Dutch driver found himself on a set of hard tires, trying to defend against George Russell. He went off-track due to a lack of grip and was asked to give back the position to the Mercedes driver. However, the four-time world champion collided with Russell when he was seemingly giving the place back.

Critics such as former world champion Nico Rosberg believed that Verstappen intentionally slammed into the Mercedes driver. While Ralf Schumacher hinted that the Dutchman might be trying to activate an exit clause by this incident.

Christijan Albers highlighted that Max Verstappen has a reputation of being aggressive in Formula 1. Usually, this pays dividends for the 27-year-old who becomes unstoppable on-track. On the other hand, the Spanish GP showed the instance when aggression made things worse for the Dutch driver. However, Albers pointed out that such a driving style was engraved into Verstappen since his days in karting. Thus, it is not something that the Red Bull star can change.

The advantage of him, of course, is that when he becomes aggressive, he can drive incredibly fast. The downside is that he does things like this weekend that you see. That combination is there, you can hardly keep it separate. These traits have been ingrained in the Dutchman from a young age and thus will not disappear.

Christijan Albers told De Telegraaf

Max Verstappen’s move on George Russell was ‘not smart’

The four-time world champion managed to continue after the incident with Russell. However, while the Mercedes went on to finish in fourth place, Max Verstappen was handed a ten-second time penalty. This dropped the Red Bull star to tenth place, a massive blow to his title prospects this year. Additionally, Verstappen was given three penalty points, with the Dutchman now being just one short of a race ban.

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull), George Russell (via Getty)
Max Verstappen (via Red Bull), George Russell (via Getty)

Christijan Albers pointed out that over the years, Verstappen’s aggression has become more controlled and calm. The 27-year-old used to be infamous for his anger during the early years of his F1 career, including his fallout with Esteban Ocon in Brazil in 2018. Though, Albers made it clear that the Red Bull driver’s move on George Russell was definitely not smart.

You just notice that over the years he has just become calm, but of course, what he did was just not smart.

Christijan Albers noted

Certainly, Max Verstappen has matured since making his Formula 1 debut all the way back in 2015. In the past decade, the Dutchman has established himself as an all-time great in the world of racing. However, Verstappen is still not perfect. Races like the Spanish GP show chinks in his armour, as the Red Bull driver continues to struggle with anger. There is still plenty of time for Verstappen to bounce back in the title race if he gets a good car. However, the 27-year-old needs to focus on managing his mood in certain situations and preventing any such rash decisions.

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