“Tenacious” and a “cold, fast b*stard” were just some of the ways Max Verstappen was described by his former teammates.
The Dutchman has certainly left an impression on all those who have sat across the garage during his six seasons in Formula 1, whether it be beating Carlos Sainz at Toro Rosso, overhauling and eventually forcing out Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull and then simply proving too good for Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon over the past two years.
And in a piece for Ziggo Sport, each of those drivers was asked to offer their views on the 23-year-old.
“He’s okay, I just remember that year was like intense, in terms of we both had a lot of intensity in the team, in the car, we were both always every time we were out on-track trying to beat each other, trying to be fastest in FP1, FP2, FP3,” Sainz began.
“And that created a lot of intensity and a lot of competition in that kind of situation and I loved it honestly, I think it was my most intense year, or one of my most intense years as a racing driver.”
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Verstappen’s relationship with Ricciardo was often relaxed but did have notable flashpoints with Hungary 2017 and Baku 2018 perhaps the most notable.
“Oh, he is tenacious, he is fast. He doesn’t smell too bad actually, he doesn’t fart too much, he’s okay actually,” said the Aussie in his usual jokey manner.
“If he beat me I just felt like he did a better job on that day and he was faster, so I never felt like there was any…let’s say fun and games.”
Ricciardo’s successor Pierre Gasly, who only lasted 13 races alongside Max, was blunt, adding: “He’s a cold, fast b*stard!
“In karting, we had a couple of crashes together and he wasn’t making me laugh too much. But honestly, he’s a great guy and a fun guy to hang out with. We’ve had some fun times together.”
Finally, Alex Albon commented: “There’s no hiding, he’s a straight guy to be honest with you and there’s no issues, it’s kind of just who he is.
“I think especially his confidence and the way when he wants something you can see that. I can see how he works and how he operates, so yes I definitely see attributes to Max where he’s a strong guy.”
Shown those responses, Verstappen couldn’t help but brag.
“Well, they can’t get around it, can they?” he said. “I beat all of them anyway, so that’s good. Yeah, my father always said ‘destroy them’.”
Next up to try his luck alongside Verstappen is Sergio Perez, who makes the move after being dropped by Racing Point for 2021.
And asked if he would continue that “destroy” mantra against the Mexican, Max replied: “Yeah, that’s right, that’s my target.
“It’s always important to be faster than your teammate and besides that, it’s important for the team to join the fight in front with both cars, just like with Daniel back in the day.”