Formula 1: Max Verstappen makes bold claim about his critics

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen has been heavily criticized throughout the 2018 Formula 1 season so far. Here is what he had to say about his critics.

Perhaps no driver has been criticized to a greater extent than Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen has so far in the 2018 Formula 1 season. The 20-year-old Dutchman has come under fire from critics fairly often through the season’s first eight races, as he has been involved in and/or caused more incidents than the average driver.

Verstappen spun in the Australian Grand Prix, hit Lewis Hamilton in the Bahrain Grand Prix, went off the track trying to pass Hamilton in the Chinese Grand Prix, hit Sebastian Vettel in the Chinese Grand, crashed with teammate Daniel Ricciardo in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, hit Lance Stroll in the Spanish Grand Prix, and wrecked in practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, causing him not to qualify for that race and start in 20th (last) place.

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, which was the race following the Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen revealed that he was ready to “headbutt someone” over questions about his driving style.

Since wrecking in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen has really done everything right except win. He made up 11 spots in the race to finish in ninth place in that race, and he followed up that performance with a third place finish in the Monaco Grand Prix and a second place finish in the French Grand Prix. He is the only driver who has finished on the podium in both of the last two races.

Understandably so, Verstappen is still frustrated by his critics, and understandably so. In fact, after finishing in second place in the French Grand Prix, he poked fun at reporters for previously asking him to “change his style” when they asked him about the penalty given to Vettel for the wreck he caused involving Valtteri Bottas.

He suggested that they ask Vettel the same question.

Verstappen is now at the point where he has stated what many Formula 1 fans are thinking. Here is what he had to say about his critics, according to ESPN.

"“In every sport there is always hate and people being jealous, so I guess it is that…For sure. People always think they know better. In football everybody thinks they can be head coach and do it better. It’s the same in F1, they always know better, even if they have no experience of it.“In general the spotlight has been on me. But up until this year it was all amazing and great and then you have maybe two or three bad weekends and all of a sudden it’s: ‘You can’t drive any more.’ It is very unfair and on social media you have all these keyboard warriors who just type something and they never say it to my face. That’s very weak I find.“Most of it has been very unfair. Sometimes people make mistakes and I admit I make mistakes, I have always been clear on that but then they make such a fuss about it and try to over‑complicate the situation to try to find something behind it that is not there. That annoys me.”"