Max Verstappen remains focused amid criticisms

F1 Update – Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will take any criticism in his stride as he continues to make waves in Formula One.

Max Verstappen’s aggressive driving style may have angered some in the Formula One paddock but the Red Bull driver “doesn’t care”, says his father Jos.

The 19-year-old’s second F1 season has seen Jenson Button and Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel criticise the way he defended overtaking moves.

Verstappen’s preference to change direction under braking was branded “dangerous” by some and led to the FIA outlawing such manoeuvres last month.

Rather than affect the young Red Bull driver, Verstappen has taken it in his stride and produced a stunning performance to finish third at last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix – despite having been 16th in the closing stages of a rain-affected race.

His father Jos, himself a former F1 driver, revealed criticism rarely affects the youngster, something he believes will help the young Verstappen go from strength to strength.

“I think he will only get better,” Jos Verstappen told reporters.

“He’s 19, his second year in Formula 1 and if he can deliver a race like this we have a lot of enjoyable years in front of us.

“He doesn’t care [about the criticism], he doesn’t mind. I’m more into that and he says, ‘shut up, it’s fine’. He doesn’t care.

“We are not here for somebody else, we are here for ourselves. We are driving for Red Bull and we want to have the best possible result for them.”

Category: Formula One