Former world champion Damon Hill has long been one of the fiercest critics of Max Verstappen. The former driver, now active as an analyst, has repeatedly made sharp comments about the four-time world champion. Hill has been particularly bothered by Verstappen’s ruthless driving style in the past. According to the Brit, the Dutchman is willing to risk a collision to prove his point. In a recent podcast episode, he explains where this criticism comes from.
After the 2024 Mexican GP, in which Verstappen clashed with Lando Norris, Hill strongly criticized the Red Bull driver. “It’s possible to race fairly, but that doesn’t seem to fit into his philosophy,” the Brit responded at the time. “His attitude is simple – no one is allowed to pass him. Sport should show character, but Max always resorts to preventive methods instead of sportsmanship.” Hill even went so far as to compare Verstappen to Dick Dastardly, the cunning villain from the animated series Wacky Races.
Hill has also made his voice heard this season. When Verstappen seemingly deliberately made contact with George Russell during the Spanish GP, Hill expressed his frustration on social media. “It was a bit thoughtless,” he wrote. “What he did was excessive – as usual.” According to Hill, his dislike of Verstappen’s driving style has everything to do with his own background. The former champion grew up in motorsport, where it is unheard of to attack your competitors in such a way.††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††
