28/07/2016
NEWS STORY
Though there is no doubting his immense talent, some feel that Max Verstappen is an accident waiting to happen.
Since his arrival in F1 the youngster has pulled off a number of audacious moves that have impressed even the most cynical inhabitants of the paddock, those who have already witnessed some of the very best in the business.
However, there is a feeling that as he pushes ever harder, and becomes more confident, it is only a matter of time before the teenager gets a harsh lesson in reality.
The youngster was involved in a thrilling battle with Kimi Raikkonen in the closing stages of last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, and while the Iceman is no shrinking violet when it comes to having a scrap the Ferrari driver was incensed by Verstappen's tactics.
After the two clashed, thereby damaging a front wing endplate on the Ferrari, Raikkonen accused the Red Bull driver of blocking illegally, moving his car across the track in reaction to the Finn's moves.
Since then, despite the stewards claiming there was no need to investigate, a number of drivers have criticised Verstappen's tactics, however, the youngster remains unmoved.
"There was nothing said by the stewards so I don't think I did anything wrong," Verstappen told reporters at Hockenheim.
"You are fighting, we are not on a Sunday drive," he continued. "That's how I approach it, we are here to fight, to score points. Senna and Prost would have liked it.
"We are fighting in the championship with Ferrari so it's not like you open the door and let him go," he insisted, "he didn't do that for me after my first pitstop."
The youngster was referring to an earlier encounter in the race, when the positions were reversed and it was the Red Bull unable to pass the Ferrari.
"You could see after my first stop I was behind Kimi on new tyres and I couldn't get past, but I didn't start to do crazy things," he said. "I didn't get too optimistic in the braking zones trying to pass because there is no way to get past.
"What I did in Budapest is just a racer's instinct."
Check out our Thursday gallery from Hockenheim, here.