Max Verstappen has been strongly defended by F1 icon Mario Andretti over his aggressive driving style, in an exclusive interview.
Verstappen drew criticism from many in F1, and 20 seconds worth of time penalties for his on-track conduct when racing title rival Lando Norris in the recent Mexico City Grand Prix, with the Red Bull driver forcing Norris off the track twice in a matter of seconds.
The Dutchman was unapologetic afterwards, defending his approach in Brazil, where a stunning victory from 17th on the grid was enough to move him to the cusp of a fourth world championship, which can be secured in Las Vegas this weekend.
To do so, Verstappen must finish ahead of Norris or hope the Briton scores fewer than three points, with the gap currently 62 with 60 left on the board after the second Las Vegas GP.
Reflecting on Verstappen's driving style, Andretti defended his fellow world champion's approach.
"I don't call it a flaw in any way," 1978 champion Andretti exclusively tells RacingNews365 when asked if Verstappen's aggressive driving style was a flaw.
"If you are not aggressive, you are not going to be world champion to begin with, but sometimes you can overdo things, we are all human.
"He knows that, so it is not like he would continue to do things that maybe he shouldn't, but he is aware of a couple of places, like Austin where he probably could have been a little bit not as right on, but that is good.
"To me, that is what racing is all about and I like to see that type of energy going into it from a driver.
"If you are aggressive and do really stupid things over and over, that is one thing, but this is not the case at all.
"He is very calculated and sometimes if the car is not really doing the things he wanted at the time, you can become frustrated, which is the way it should be, and maybe you overdo things.
"But its not enough to fault anyone, I like to see that in a driver, if I own the team and he is driving for me, I would say: 'Atta Boy.''
Also interesting:
Samuel Coop is joined by guest host Joris Mosterdijk and Fergal Walsh as the RacingNews365 team looks ahead to the second running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Will Max Verstappen wrap up his fourth drivers’ championship or will it roll onto Qatar? Also, the trio dissect the recently-confirmed F1 Live event to celebrate the championship’s 75th season and a rather mysterious social media message from Mick Schumacher.
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