Max Verstappen handed 'selfish' edge in 'shocking' F1 driver verdict

Max Verstappen's 'selfish' streak has been labelled as a key differentiator between the four-time F1 champion and his rivals.

Verstappen has become renowned over the years for his ruthlessness on track, earning him his four drivers' titles, 71 grands prix victories, and 48 pole positions.

It has led to criticism of the Red Bull driver at times and proven detrimental, as was the case last year when he deliberately turned into the Mercedes of George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix.

The incident earned Verstappen a time penalty, relegating him from fifth at the chequered flag to 10th on the classification, with the lost points playing a role in the 28-year-old Dutchman missing out on a fifth consecutive crown.

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya can relate to Verstappen's attitude on track, and to the way he conducts himself off it, in not wanting to get too friendly with his rivals.

"I would wake up and figure out how I could beat the hell out of everybody," said the seven-time grand prix winner on the Chequered Flag podcast with Damon Hill. "You've got to be selfish.

"You know, for me, it's shocking. You look at them [the F1 drivers], they all go play padel together, and they're really good friends and go for dinner together."

"But that's why Max is good, because he doesn't play along."

Suggested to Montoya that Verstappen and Bortoleto have developed a good friendship over time, notably sim racing together, Montoya replied: "But if Bortoleto was competitive, in a competitive car, the friendship would still be there?

"So you're going to tell me when Max cuts [gets cut up by Bortoleto], he's going to go, 'I'm not going to dive bomb and put you in the wall like I do everybody else'. Come on!"

Taking a knife and twisting it

It is why Montoya enjoyed Kimi Antonelli's victory in the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month, and why he is expecting the 19-year-old to take the fight to Mercedes team-mate George Russell at the next race in Canada, a favourite circuit for the British driver.

Antonelli's triumph was his third in a row, extending his lead over Russell to 20 points in the drivers' standings, whilst the more experienced 28-year-old was only fourth at a circuit he has conceded does not suit him.

Despite that, Montoya said: "I did F1TV, and they were saying, 'George knows this [Miami] is not a great place for him. Canada is the best place for him'.

"If I'm Kimi, I'm going out for blood. Oh my God, if I'm going out for blood.

"The way, for example, for me, when I had Ralph [Schumacher] as a teammate. I knew how much going well in Germany meant for him.

"So if we beat him in Germany. Even if it was by a thousandth of a second, it was gold, baby."

With Hill pointing out that "it's in the mind", Montoya added, "It's money. It's just so good. Honestly, it's like taking that little knife and twisting it in there."