“Max has made a career out of putting in gutsy moves, getting his elbows out,” said F1 journalist Will Buxton, reacting to the post-race heated exchange between Max Verstappen and George Russell. For the uninitiated, Max Verstappen always put his cars in corners, never backing down from a fight. And many, including someone from his homeland, have come forward to give their two cents. And interestingly, he seems to be tilting towards the Silver Arrows driver.

Christijan Albers, a former professional Dutch racing driver, called Verstappen a calmer and less aggressive version of what Max was in his younger days. He felt a little happier seeing the aggression come up in the spat with Russell. And even though he feels Max is much more careful now (probably remembering the Esteban Ocon instance), Albers still can see George’s side.

As quoted by F1Maximaal, Albers stated, “I actually agree completely with Russell, because those guys really only have one chance, especially at the start, that’s where the chance is the greatest and then you just have to take every opportunity you have to pass someone. It’s not the Max Verstappen show, it’s still Formula 1. I also thought it was a nice action by Russell. A nice fight at the start, why not?”

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And while clearly stating that it’s still Formula 1, and he enjoyed the “nice fight” at the start, the Dutchman has gone on to brush the incident under the carpet without viewing it from a criminal angle.

Max Verstappen schooled, calling the fiasco “a racing incident”

Clarifying that the cars have become heavier and everything is done to make the material thinner and lighter, the side pods and other body parts are more vulnerable to damage. And probably that is why a small contact also ends up causing a lot of damage.

He said, “It was just a racing incident.” He further added, “If I had been Max, I would have just let it go. There have also been instances in the years before where Max was just really tough, but on the other hand, I get it because his entire race was thrown away because of it.”

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Do you think Max was right in putting his car in the corner with George or being a double world champion should he have acted wisely?