Racing on a former World War II airfield in front of more than 160,000 patriotic fans may not be well received, but Max Verstappen is the best driver in the world.
He sits on the ground floor of his Red Bull motorhome, relaxing on a sofa, away from the noise. He smiles and laughs with the tenacity of a champion who doesn’t care about popularity. He is hugely admired in Holland, but he could live without it. At this weekend’s British Grand Prix, he is more likely to be booed than cheered.
At the Silverstone Estate farm site, where Verstappen and several other drivers are staying, he is totally unaware of the festival atmosphere. In his campervan, sitting in a simulator and driving until the early hours, headphones protecting him from the noise. “I didn’t even realise there was music playing,” Verstappen says.
The road to this weekend’s race has been marked by a loud bang by an altercation with Lando Norris, the highly talented 24-year-old McLaren driver who was carrying the heaviest burden of home expectations and was quickest in both practice sessions on Friday. The two crashed last Sunday while battling for the lead in Austria. Norris called his friend’s stubborn defence “reckless, stupid and desperate” and accused him of breaking the rules by moving under braking, putting them both at risk.
To summarise briefly, Verstappen was penalised 10 seconds for not giving Norris a car width – which he did not, but as Norris later admitted, he could have used the kerb more to avoid the contact. The two men spoke the following day and on Wednesday to resolve their differences. Norris then backed out of a press conference commitment on Thursday, giving the impression that he had ceded the psychological advantage to the 26-year-old Dutch driver.
World champion Max Verstappen unfazed by criticism ahead of Silverstone Grand Prix
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris (left) are engaged in an altercation after their dramatic collision at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Norris was forced to retire soon afterwards and blamed his good friend Verstappen.
Norris slammed Verstappen and said his friendship could be affected if he did not apologise.
“I don’t listen to other people criticising me or saying positive things about me,” Verstappen says defiantly. “I’m here with my team and the people who are involved in my success. I listen to them and judge my performance by what they say.”
“Everyone can have their own opinion, and that’s fine. It doesn’t dictate how I live my life off the rails, or how I behave on the rails.”
But the three-time world champion believes the sport’s British dominance – with seven out of 10 teams based in Britain’s “Motorsport Valley” – has contributed to him being demonised.
“80-85% of the F1 press is British,” he says, “so they’re quite the dominant force. Deep down, most of us want our own drivers to do well and, naturally, if there’s an accident, we’ll side with our own drivers.”
“Most of the former drivers are British so it’s a bit of a one-sided affair.”
It’s been the same for the past few seasons. Last year, Verstappen won 19 of 22 races. This year, he’s won seven of 11 and sits 81 points behind Norris in the championship. But the Somerset-born challenger is at least as threatening as Red Bull in a car, and the race is closer than last year. Recent races have been particularly interesting to watch, with Norris’ confidence growing since his first win in Miami.
But is Red Bull distracted by the scandal that rocked the sport earlier this year, when team principal Christian Horner was accused (and exonerated by an internal investigation) of sending sexually suggestive messages to a female colleague?
The row continues, with Verstappen’s father, Jos, a former F1 racer and a regular critic of Horner, also escalating after Jos accused his arch rival of opposing Verstappen’s participation in a vintage car parade at the Red Bull Ring just a week ago.
The turmoil surrounding Red Bull team principal Christian Horner (left) continues.
Verstappen’s father, Jos, pictured, continues to be a vocal critic of Horner.
Verstappen insists he wants to stay at Red Bull, where he is under contract until 2028.
“With the way I grew up, these things don’t faze me,” said Verstappen, whose parents divorced when he was nine. “For me, it’s a pretty small obstacle. I know how to stay focused on the race and perform at my best, regardless of what’s going on behind the scenes.”
“That being said, it’s always good to have a completely friendly environment. Everyone was talking about it (the scandal) at the beginning of the year, but it’s definitely improved a lot by this point.”
“Then comes the final race and I’m sure even that one can be worked out. Sometimes you just need to take a bit of time and not get too emotional.”
For now, he wants to stay at Red Bull, where he’s contracted until 2028, but Mercedes is holding off. Verstappen is realistic about his future, saying: “I always look at things from a performance perspective, but also take into account the people around me and the working relationship I have with them. It’s a total team effort. For us it’s very important to try to keep that group together, for now it is.”
But on one thing he is adamant: Jos isn’t going anywhere. “Without a doubt,” Verstappen says of the man who nurtured him with a strict but loving heart as a young kart racer.
“Obviously he’s not at every Grand Prix these days because he has a family and he’s doing rallies,” Max added. “We’re a family, he’s always been there for me and that’s always going to be the case.”