
Anyone trying to restrain Max Verstappen (FIA) within a hypocritical and moralistic code of conduct is wasting their time. Over many seasons, the Dutch driver’s daring maneuvers, often at or beyond the limits of the regulations, received lenient treatment from race stewards. However, it seems the era of papal dispensation for the Dutch champion has passed. In the recently concluded season, the approach changed entirely. The world champion was consistently penalized for flashy or questionable moves, such as in Abu Dhabi.
This new standard of judgment stems partly from the numerous changes in the leadership of race direction. Despite the penalties, Jos’s son managed to secure his fourth world title. The penalties had no impact against the superior skills of the talent from Hasselt. During the FIA awards in Rwanda, Verstappen also fulfilled his community service obligation for the vulgar comment he made about his car during the routine media session ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.
The current four-time F1 world champion met with students of the Integrated Regional Polytechnic College in Kigali. The penalty was served under the watchful eyes of the FIA president, Emirati Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who seemed very pleased with the punishment. A total farce, not just for the penalty imposed on Max, but also for the reasoning behind it. Nonetheless, the 1997-born driver shows no intention of changing his racing style or his conduct on the track.
Recently, he explained that if he were to exhaust his penalty points and serve a race ban, as happened to Kevin Magnussen, who missed the Baku weekend, it wouldn’t be a big deal. On the contrary, he would see it as an opportunity to be with his pregnant partner or enjoy an extra weekend with his firstborn. The ace driver makes it clear to motorsport authorities—and by extension, his colleagues—that penalties will not make him any less fierce on track. He will always speak his mind.
F1 according to Verstappen doesn’t suit the FIA
Max is in the prime of his sporting and personal life. Yet, when necessary, he has shown his claws, as he often did in the past. In short, success, glory, and fame have not changed him one bit. This is a virtue in an environment rife with hypocrisy but also a significant risk, as the FIA has shown clearly and transparently that it will not tolerate his approach to racing battles. The same goes for his bluntness in interviews, which has never been appreciated by the FIA.
The current governing body is dealing with an overwhelming talent whose transgressions were always forgiven but who, with his established way of interpreting on-track actions, has no intention of holding back. The relentless drive to win at all costs has instilled in Verstappen a disregard for the “how to win.” This mindset aligns him with great drivers of the past. However, unlike in past decades, F1 is now a different sport that aims to convey impeccable values and behavioral models to its fans.
The feeling is that two scenarios may soon unfold: either Max accepts to modify his value system, or the Dutchman leaves the pinnacle of motorsport. These seem to be the only two options at the moment, considering Verstappen is not one for “middle ground.” Some “authoritative” voices in our country already claim that Verstappen could leave F1 without causing any upheaval; in short, no one would miss him. Unfortunately, we must also endure such nonsense.
Such absurdities come from minds distorted by bias and have nothing to do with objectivity. Instead, a certain bitterness lingers, always looking for an outlet to be served to viewers. The truth, however, is different. A phenomenon like Max Verstappen would absolutely be missed in F1, as no other driver possesses his skills when compared to the rest of the grid. For this reason, it would be wise for the FIA to hold onto Max, who, among other things, manages to fill grandstands with thousands of fans worldwide.
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