Martin Brundle has criticised Max Verstappen's driving standards following the Dutchman's latest controversial run-in with Lewis Hamilton at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The eventful race in Jeddah saw the title rivals clash when Verstappen slowed to cede position to Hamilton after an illegal overtake, and Verstappen was later given a 10-second time penalty for the manner in which he did so . There has been plenty of reaction to the incident since the Grand Prix, with Johnny Herbert amongst those to condemn Verstappen's actions , and Brundle similarly thinks that the Red Bull driver should rethink his approach. "I think Verstappen has got to think about his driving standards," Brundle told Sky Sports . "They were too much today. "There's aggressive, determined, feisty racing and then there's what we saw this evening, which was too much."
Risk of a "dent" on Verstappen's reputation
Brundle added in his column for Sky Sports that, whilst he has long been a fan of Verstappen, he has concerns about how actions such as those seen in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix could have an effect on the young driver's reputation. "I'm in awe of Verstappen's driving skills and racing nous, and have championed him since the Chinese Grand Prix of 2015 when he was in the Toro Rosso," Brundle explained. "His touch and control behind the wheel is something to behold, but it saddens me that he's resorting to such tactics, he's better than that. "And for all his carefree attitude it will be such a shame if his legacy is to be labelled as an unfair driver. "Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher had their faults too, and I was on the receiving end from both of them on occasions, but it's a sizeable dent on their immense reputations, not a positive." Following the race in Jeddah, Verstappen and Hamilton will now arrive at the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on equal points, though Verstappen is currently placed ahead in the standings based on having more wins during the season than Hamilton.
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