“Would Have Died 3 or 4 Times” – Former F1 Driver Comments on Max Verstappen and his Dangerous Driving

Recently, ex McLaren driver Bruno Giacomelli noted the marked improvement in F1’s safety standards. He even cited the example of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, and his affinity for aggressive driving. According to the Italian, Verstappen would not have survived in F1 during his era of racing. Once again, Giacomelli highlighted the difference in safety measures implemented between his racing days and now.

Over the past 26 years, safety has taken incredible strides to protects drivers and personnel. This comes especially after the fateful 1994 Imola Grand prix weekend, where Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger lost their lives.

Owing to the sport’s notoriety for danger, Giacomelli believes that Juan Manuel Fangio’s five titles bear a lot of weight. He even declared that they were worth more than Michael Schumacher’s seven titles.

What did he say about Max Verstappen?

Finally, the former McLaren driver sent a stern warning to Max Verstappen. As it turns out, he believe’s that the Dutchman’s driving style may be considered too dangerous for the 1980s.

“Looking at the results, Schumacher has won seven world championships”, Giacomelli told Motorsport.com. “Fangio won five, but Fangio won them with different cars and at a time when people were dying, you know what I mean? It means that Verstappen would have died at least three or four times if he had driven the cars of the eighties I was driving.”

“During accidents I really felt fear. In those few seconds that an accident lasts, that you are conscious. The first thing you think and say is: I don’t want to hurt myself. What are you doing? You hold the steering wheel, try to get as stiff as possible and wait for the crash. That’s the moment of fear.”

According to the Italian, the numerous safety measure do their utmost to allay any fears of injury or death. Of course, F1 can never be too safe and there is always the danger of one freak accident. Examples include Robert Kubica’s 2007 accident or Felipe Massa’s 2009 crash or even Jules Bianchi’s fatal 2014 crash.