Sebastian Vettel says Max Verstappen’s agressive driving style is one the Red Bull ace’s strong suits, after the 18-year-old’s intense duel with Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in Hungary last Sunday.
The 2007 world champion spent the final 15 laps of the Budapest race hounding Verstappen for P5, and ended up damaging his front wing when he hit his opponent at the back.
The incident left Raikkonen frustrated and voicing his frustration at the Dutchman’s robust defending, with the Finn arguing that he had seen drivers “getting penalised for much less”
Two weeks earlier at Silverstone, it was Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg who had complained about Verstappen’s changes of direction during their battle at the British Grand Prix.
Asked for his own views on the Red Bull rising star’s tactics, Vettel was quick to calm things down.
“Look, I think we are here to race, I think one of Max’s strengths is that he very aggressive, obviously sometimes he over-stepped the line but I’m against the whole policy of penalties and very complicated ruling,” the four-time world champion said.
“I think it’s silly, people outside are laughing about us. This is something we need to work on. For us, it’s a little bit tricky because there is not much we can do about.
“I think [Max] will calm down, give him a bit of time. As I said, it’s also one of his strong points. Of course, if you are fighting with him and sometimes the car in front is behaving not fair, it’s not great.
“Kimi is one of the fairest drivers in the field but that’s how it is sometimes. The race is long, the season is long and I’m sure they’ll meet again at some point.”
Verstappen, for his part, labelled his battle with Raikkonen as “fair”, while Red Bull team principal Christian Horner called it “hard racing” that was “good to watch”.
DRIVER RATINGS: Hungarian Grand Prix
REPORT: Hamilton holds off Rosberg to take championship lead
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