Home

F1

“Gets This Kind of Villain Persona”: Former British Racer Chimes in Amidst Ever-Rising Hate on Max Verstappen

Published 05/13/2022, 4:49 AM EDT

Follow Us

via Reuters

F1 fans have different opinions about the Dutch driver, Max Verstappen. The 24-year-old is one of the youngest F1 champions and has been dominating the grid since last season.

With winning comes a lot of love as well as criticism. Verstappen is no stranger to this, with many rival camps often attacking his personality for various reasons.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton made Verstappen the villain

To Max’s credit, he actually has a few friends on the grid. He gets along really well with most of the drivers and shares a great bond with Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris. Both the McLaren teammates speak highly of Max and even take inspiration from his driving. Max, who is known to be aggressive on the grid, has taken some heat for his headstrong driving in 2021.

via Reuters

F1 fans sometimes attach Verstappen’s on-grid aggressiveness to his off-grid persona. His continuous banter with Lewis Hamilton particularly made him a target for many.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

However, former British racing driver Max Fewtrell recently gave his take on the Verstappen saga. Fewtrell, who drove for Hitech Grand Prix in 3, said, “You don’t like Max cause of Drive to Survive? He actually gets this kind of villain persona.I don’t know why, he’s actually a really nice bloke. I don’t get it. Max Verstappen is literally a really nice guy.” 

The driver claims DTS misrepresented him

Verstappen has garnered hate from one more critical point: Drive to Survive. The series, as he believes, has misrepresented him. In the Dutchman’s own words, “a lot of it is fake.” 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“Give That Wolf a Banana”: F1 Fans Bring Up Hysterical Leclerc-Wolff References & More Amid Ongoing Eurovision 2022

The Red Bull driver has stopped participating in the series’ interviews and has refused to change his mind. Verstappen believes that a lot of things are overtly dramatized and they fake rivalries.

In fact, he even took a stand for Norris, who has also received some criticism after this season. The Brit’s choice of words for teammate Ricciardo was not the best sometimes. However, Verstappen backed his friend. He called out the series for not presenting Norris in the greatest light.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Watch This Story:  F1 Stars Max Verstappen, George Russell Enjoy Miami Heats Dominant Surge at NBA Playoffs  

Many believe that a person’s professional and personal life should be kept separate. And Verstappen has grown a lot over the years, which is reflected in his calm, sometimes sassy but authentic talking, especially during this season.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Khyati Yadav

441Articles

One take at a time

Khyati Yadav is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports. She is a Hospitality Graduate and a huge fan of Lando Norris. She believes that F1 as a sport deserves a lot more attention and is intrigued by the process that goes behind the making of a car and the hard work that goes into the setting up of any Grand Prix.
Show More>

Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh