Former Driver Slams F1's 'Prejudiced' Critics of Max Verstappen’s Masterclass

Saajan Jogia | Nov 20, 2024

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) of Team Netherlands exits his vehicle after the Sprint Race in the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has hailed Max Verstappen's incredible drive from 17th on the grid to victory at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos as a "lesson to all drivers." The Dutchman's remarkable recovery left the F1 world in awe, yet Coulthard noted lingering prejudice from those who failed to fully appreciate the effort and skill behind Verstappen's hard-earned victory.

Red Bull encountered a huge setback in Brazil when Verstappen was eliminated in Q2 of qualifying due to a late red flag triggered by Lance Stroll's crash. This left Verstappen in 12th position, but a five-place grid penalty for using a new internal combustion engine pushed him further back to 17th on the starting grid.

Sunday's race went through several ups and downs from the first lap itself, where Lando Norris, starting from pole position, lost the top spot to Mercedes's George Russell. Verstappen, meanwhile, in just ten laps, had made a significant recovery.

During the wet and chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix, marked by several yellow flags and a red flag caused by Franco Colapinto's crash, Verstappen found himself battling in the midfield behind Esteban Ocon's Alpine A524. Despite heavy rain, neither Red Bull nor Alpine opted to pit their drivers. A late pit stop strategy from Mercedes and McLaren under the safety car reshuffled the order, placing Ocon, Verstappen, and Pierre Gasly in the top three. After the race resumed following the red flag, Verstappen swiftly overtook Ocon and dominated the remainder of the race, clinching victory with a commanding margin of over 19 seconds.

While Verstappen's impressive recovery drive earned widespread acclaim, bringing him closer to securing his fourth championship title, his 2024 season has not been without controversy. Most recently, he faced backlash from the FIA, resulting in a one-day community service penalty for swearing over his RB20 F1 car.

Coulthard suggests that such incidents have fueled bias against Verstappen within the sport, overshadowing his accomplishments. Coulthard remarked that failing to acknowledge Verstappen's talent reflects a prejudiced perspective. He told PlanetF1:

“I’m just a fan of the sport and, therefore, I’ve got a wee bit experience of the driving.

“I’ve done a little bit of winning, and I’ve done a lot of losing, and I’ve observed some brilliant drivers over my time in and out.

“But it amazes me that, just because someone maybe doesn’t like him as a person, therefore that clouds their judgment on the facts.

“The facts are the guy is brilliant, he’s brilliantly fast. Yes, he’s controversial, but [Ayrton] Senna was controversial. Michael [Schumacher] was controversial.

“I’m not really sure there’s ever been an uncontroversial, very successful person in Formula 1, maybe if you go back to the 1960s and ’70s, when they literally were taking their lives in their hands. But as old as I am, I wasn’t around at that time, so I can’t make a judgment on it.

“So his drive in Brazil was a lesson to all the other drivers. It was on another level.

“So if somebody can’t acknowledge that and go, ‘That was brilliant’, then they have a problem. They have a prejudice problem, which is what causes so many problems in the world, doesn’t it?”