Unique Max Verstappen trait highlighted: ‘That’s why he is so loved’

Motorsport legend Jacky Ickx has lavished praise on Max Verstappen's ability to transcend the limitations of his Red Bull machinery, explaining why the four-time F1 champion commands such widespread respect throughout the paddock.

Speaking exclusively to RacingNews365, the 81-year-old Belgian highlighted a crucial period that he feels cemented Verstappen's reputation amongst his peers and fans alike.

"If someone keeps winning and you basically already know who will be champion, in the long run, it can work against you," said Ickx. "People get tired of seeing the same winner all the time.

"But Max, especially last year and the year before, showed that even without the best car, he can still win. That is why he is so loved and admired. He has proven his class."

The observation carries particular weight given Red Bull's current struggles with the RB22, which has seen Verstappen face his most challenging campaign since his early championship-winning seasons.

Yet it is precisely this adversity that has enhanced the Dutchman's standing, according to Ickx.

"Every decade, there are good drivers, and then you have one who is exceptionally fast. That's Max's situation," the six-time Le Mans winner continued. "He started very young and was always fast. There was a perfect combination of him, the car and the engineers. The timing was just right."

Ickx particularly admires Verstappen's dominance over his team-mates throughout his Red Bull tenure, describing the statistical evidence in stark terms.

"You only have to look at how he has beaten his team-mates," he said. "He has completely destroyed them. And when I say destroyed, I mean really destroyed."

Verstappen opinion 'may change'

The veteran also appreciates Verstappen's ventures beyond F1, notably his appearances at the Nürburgring Nordschleife as he builds up to a tilt at the 24 Hours in May, echoing the versatility Ickx's generation was renowned for.

"I'm glad about that, because it's very cool," Ickx noted. "Nowadays, sometimes you still see that a little bit, like with Fernando Alonso, but it's not comparable to our time at all.

"We drove sometimes 40 weekends a year. In 1968, for example, I drove for Ford AND Ferrari, which is unthinkable today. That was a different era, the dinosaur era.

"I said at one point that in my time, we were more mercenaries than professionals. Why did I say that? Because the hallmark of that time was that the drivers were versatile.

"It was about the sport, and if you had a free weekend, you could drive whatever you wanted. It's not something specific to Jacky Ickx, but to all drivers at that time: Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham. That meant Formula 2, Formula 1, long-distance racing, touring cars, Cortinas, Mustangs, Alfa Romeos."

Ick knows that freedom does not exist anymore. "That will never come back," he said. "Nowadays, you are exclusively tied to a brand or a team. In addition, you are also exclusively tied to that brand's sponsor.

"It reminds me of Sebastian Vettel: I once asked him something, and by his answer, I knew he was immediately stuck.

"Nowadays, you are already 'taken' at 13, and only when you are an adult do you get a certain freedom. There will be a different generation of drivers in the present and the future. What we did will no longer exist."

On a personal level, Ickx conceded he is "an admirer' of Verstappen, not just on the track, but also off.

"He always comes up to me when I see him; he knows who I am," he said. "That's nice, because he doesn't have to. I'm not part of his world. But I think he's a nice person, and when you get to know him a little better, your opinion may change."