David Beckham was Impressed by Max Verstappen During Ocon Clash

During the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was involved in a controversial collision with Racing Point driver Esteban Ocon. While the internet was divided on the incident and the post-race squabble, the latter won Max a few fans.

According to team principal Christian Horner, former England footballer, David Beckham was a fan. To be precise, the British football star was impressed with the way Max Verstappen carried himself during the altercation.

Admittedly, the Dutchman was on course to win at Interlagos last year ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Unfortunately, he collided with back-marking Esteban Ocon, who was trying to unlap himself.

With red mist filling his eyes, Max Verstappen stormed to the weighing area toward a clueless Ocon. Cameras then picked up the Red Bull driver engage in a shoving match with the Frenchman. Verstappen later claimed that Esteban Ocon has yet to apologise for the incident.

On one hand, the emotional outburst did little to endear him to some people. However, on the other end of the spectrum, Horner revealed that the former England football captain admired Verstappen’s gumption and passion..

“With that incident, you see that passion and desire within him – I think people relate to that,” Horner reveal to the official Formula 1 website.

“I remember after that race, David Beckham sent me a message and said, ‘I really like the attitude of your driver’. Max ignites that kind of support.”

Since that incident, Max Verstappen was undergoing a win drought until his win in Austria. However, that incident in Austria was also under controversial circumstances. At the time, he barged past Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc in the closing stages to clinch victory at Red Bull’s stomping grounds.

“He’s getting stronger and stronger and he’s still so young,” Horner continued.

“He’s only scratching at the surface of what I think he’s ultimately capable of. As he gets more experience, you can see already he’s incredibly rounded.

“There’s a couple of stand-out guys for the future, which is very much Verstappen and Leclerc. They are going to be the two dominant guys of the next decade.”