Spa proved Verstappen needs to learn respect
In front of a mostly orange crowd at his adopted home race, Max Verstappen left perhaps the biggest impression on proceedings at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman, however, keen to maximise his second place on the grid, will dominate the discussion for the wrong reasons as his inexperience showed at Spa-Francorchamps.
A poor start dropped him down behind both Ferrari’s on the run to La Source hairpin but, where a more seasoned veteran would have focussed on fighting back at Les Combes, Verstappen’s lack of patience saw him arguably trigger a three-car collision on the exit with the two Ferrari’s.
Sebastian Vettel wasn’t completely blame-free, as he squeezed his teammate Kimi Raikkonen on the outside, but the moment did bare resemblance to Turn 1 in China when another Red Bull steamed up the inside.
Then it was Daniil Kvyat who took advantage of a gap, which pushed Vettel into Raikkonen, but the start at Spa was different in that Verstappen’s gap was more likely to close.
Ultimately, it was a pincer attack on the Finn from two drivers who perhaps should have been a little more spacially aware and what resulted was Ferrari once again floundering down the field and Verstappen very lucky not to crash shortly after at Eau Rouge.
But, while La Source could have been a case of overeagerness, however, Verstappen’s attempts to repair the damage were not.
His lap back to the pits with a damaged car was littered with near collisions and offs where perhaps more sensibility could have been shown and, thanks to an aggressive strategy, his racecraft was once again on full display.
On the attack, there was no issue but defensively lines were certainly crossed.
Against Raikkonen in Hungary, Max just about stayed within what is at the very least legal but blocking a move by the Ferrari on the Kemmel straight at over 200mph, while Schumacheresque from 2000, should have no place in modern F1.
Things were no better at Les Combes, at the end of the straight, as he fended off drivers by leaving no space for a car on the outside.
At most corners, it’s almost a given that a car on the outside would be ran off the track, but the chicane is one of the few places outside moves are common and, as a result, greater respect should be shown to a car alongside.
Indeed, respect, or the lack thereof by Verstappen, is a word that can be applied to all the scenarios the Red Bull driver found himself in at Spa.
Max has vowed not to change his driving style describing the comments made by other drivers as ‘not his problem’, but after their near coming together at Spa, Raikkonen only sees the Dutchman’s approach ending one way.
“The problem is when I came with DRS I am 15-20kph faster than him and once I turn he waits and waits and turns after me,” he was quoted by Eurosport.
“The speed difference is quite high so I have to brake and slow down to avoid him.
“It’s not what should happen at full speed, but for whatever reasons the stewards say it is OK.
“If I would not have braked we would have had a massive accident and I’m sure it will happen sooner or later if this doesn’t change.”
We all know that the teenager is a massive talent, in fact, some like to try and defend his hard-line driving by comparing it to that of Senna or Schumacher, but that doesn’t give him the right to bully the other drivers.
There were enough drivers prepared to leave Max the space to make a move when in a position to do so and he must return the favour accepting that not every fight is winnable.
What is more disconcerting about Verstappen’s current approach, however, is it’s not like he will necessarily improve with experience.
He already has this weight of expectation on him to become a world champion and there’s no reason to think he’ll calm down until that is fulfilled.
Certainly, when he stepped into Red Bull prior to the Spanish Grand Prix it was clear Max Verstappen was going to be the biggest challenge Dr Helmut Marko, the man behind the team’s young driver programme, would deal with in his time with the team.
Now, though, Marko and team boss Christian Horner have to rise to that challenge and nurture the Dutchman into the phenomenon he seems destined to be, otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous.