28 November 2023 , 20:07
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Martin Brundle finds Max Verstappen's directness to be "refreshing" - but wishes the Formula 1 champion would lighten up a little.
While Lewis Hamilton remains F1's biggest global name, Verstappen is the star of the show right now. He won his third consecutive title this year in style by scoring more points on his own than any other team managed in total.
So F1 chiefs would no doubt love it if the Red Bull racer was always supportive or at least open to their new innovations. Sadly for them, he often adopts a more to-the-point approach.
For a long time now, Verstappen has been highly critical of the divisive Sprint format. And he moaned many times during the Las Vegas Grand Prix event earlier this month, clearly not a fan of all the pomp and pageantry around the race.
Sky Sports F1 pundit Brundle admits he quite likes the fact Verstappen is always so ready to speak his mind. But he thinks the Dutchman does need to change his ways a little for the good of the sport itself.
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"[Verstappen] had a very vocal downer on Las Vegas, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to express in that way, although he warmed up to the event on race day after yet another victory," Brundle wrote in his column for the UK broadcaster.
"I like that Max speaks his mind and I've always found him very refreshing to interview, and also simply to chat to in the paddock. He's very direct and honest, what you see is what you get and he clearly doesn't care all that much what others think.
"I can't help but feel that a little more diplomacy and balance would be more fitting to the legacy he will leave, and after all, we are all only guardians of this great sport as we pass through." Despite the fact Verstappen can be an outspoken figure, Brundle went on to express his confusion over why he remains unpopular among some F1 fans.
He added: "Max didn't get everything right, for example when the drivers walked out to the grid for the traditional end of season group photograph there were some boos as he emerged, as we've heard at some other tracks too.
"Of course, he was feisty and a little wild as a teenager when first racing in F1, but he sorted that out and is mostly a model of calm out on track now and as fair as anybody else when it comes to hard racing. I don't understand why he's still seen as the villain, but the fans will make up their own minds."