JAMES ROBERTS

“Max’s hard-nosed style got the better of him”

Coming into 2018, Max Verstappen felt invincible. He had the measure of his highlyrated team-mate Dan Ricciardo and had signed a new long-term deal with Red Bull, making the 20-year-old one of the highest earners in the sport. What could possibly go wrong?

At the Australian season-opener, Max’s hard-nosed style got the better of him when he broke his diffuser over a kerb and spun a few laps later. A fortnight later in Bahrain he crashed in qualifying, after being too liberal with his right foot, then made contact with Lewis Hamilton during the race.

After the frustration of that move, he was too keen in his attempt to pass Hamilton at the next grand prix in China and also smashed into Vettel in his bid to make-up for his earlier misdemeanour. To compound matters, that mistake cost him a victory chance and he had the ignominy of watching his Ricciardo take the spoils.

And so began Verstappen’s destructive cycle: the more frustrated he was to make amends, the harder he drove – leading to more mistakes. In the next three races he continued to make contact with either other drivers or the wall.

In Baku he famously clashed with his team-mate, hit the back of Lance Stroll in Spain and then crashed heavily in Monaco practice – forcing him to the back of the grid. In six races, Verstappen’s had six incidents and the pressure was mounting. Following Monaco, Red Bull were starting to lose their patience with their highly-paid superstar. Team boss Christian Horner admitted that Verstappen was “trying too hard” and added that “when you get into a spiral, you need to hit the reset button”.

When last Thursday in Canada, journalist Jonathan Mcevoy from the Daily Mail, simply asked Verstappen: “Why have you had so many accidents?” His response gave an indication to his mindset.

“I don’t know,” he said. “And, like I said in the beginning of this press conference, I get really tired of all the questions, so… yeah… I think if I get a few more I’ll head-butt someone.”

There was the hint of a smile, but much of Verstappen’s appeal is his no-nonsense approach to both his interviews and his racing. At the start of the Canadian GP last Sunday, Horner told his young charge to “go for it”, so as not to suppress his natural talent and his racing instinct. It’s a difficult balancing act and one Horner has to handle carefully. Verstappen’s probably realised that he’s not invincible, but this blip is all part of the learning curve for a racer who, remember, is only 20 years old. For his many fans, who love his attacking, aggressive style, they’ll be hoping he doesn’t rein it in too much.

Hunt was banned