Verstappen dismisses Brown’s criticism as ‘failed racer’s’ opinion

Max Verstappen has fired back at McLaren boss Zak Brown, dismissing the latter’s criticism of his aggressive driving style by labeling the McLaren boss’s own racing career as a “failure.”

The backdrop to the Red Bull driver’s comments was the 2024 Formula 1 season, which saw several heated moments between Verstappen and McLaren driver Lando Norris, particularly in Austria, in Austin and in Mexico City.

The event at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez proved a significant flashpoint, with Verstappen receiving two separate 10-second time penalties for incidents involving Norris.

Following the Mexico race, Brown raised Verstappen’s talent but publicly criticized the Dutchman’s on-track behviour.

“He’s such an awesome racing driver that I just don’t think he needs to drive like that,” Brown said.

“Just drive like the World Champion you are. It was unnecessary, puts everybody at risk and it’s not clean racing.”

• Read also: Marko hints at removal of exit clause in Verstappen contract

In a clip from a Viaplay documentary, Verstappen laughed off Brown’s comments with a scorching jibe.

“I always find that really funny, coming from someone that failed himself in racing,” quipped the four-time F1 world champion.

A History of Friction

This isn’t the first time tensions between Verstappen and Brown have flared. Earlier in the season, after a collision between Verstappen and Norris in Austria, Brown criticized Red Bull’s “win-at-all-costs” mentality, remarking, “Nasty is not how McLaren goes racing.”

Brown also alluded to his belief that Verstappen owed a large par of his success to having the fastest car in the field, a comment that wasn’t lost on the Red Bull charger.

In Las Vegas last November, where Verstappen sealed his fourth consecutive world title, Verstappen confronted Brown during the event’s post-race celebrations.

As the McLaren chief congratulated him on his achievement, Verstappen pointedly reminded him of his past comment: “And like you said, before I could only win it in the fastest car!”

Brown Backs Norris for 2025

Despite their clashes, Brown is optimistic about Norris’s ability to challenge Verstappen in 2025. Reflecting on the lessons learned from the 2024 season, Brown praised Norris for his growth in racing against Verstappen.

“Lando has learned a lot on how to race Max,” Brown said. “Max is transparent on how he races; try and pass down the outside… he’s not letting you past around the outside.”

Brown highlighted Norris’s performance in Mexico as an example of his progress: “I think Lando put up a great fight in Mexico but also kept them out of an accident.”

Looking ahead, Brown believes Norris is now better equipped to handle Verstappen’s uncompromising tactics.

“I think he knows where and how to race Max, and I think he’ll race him differently next year,” he concluded.

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