Max Verstappen reckons he has toned down the anger in 2019

Max Verstappen

Verstappen reckons he has toned down the anger in 2019

He had a reputation for being a hot head.

Martin Macdonald

Tuesday 10 December 2019 15:35

Max Verstappen believes that he has been a lot calmer in interviews before and after races this campaign, as he admits to learning from past mistakes when he was angry in front of the camera.

In the past, the young Dutchman gained a reputation for speaking with emotion and passion no matter what was on his mind, which got him into trouble on occasion.

However, in 2019 he has been a bit more docile, and he thinks this has come with experience.

“This year I was a lot calmer in front of cameras. More Zen,” Verstappen told Ziggo Sport.

“Generally, that works better. I never throw things anyway as my father has never allowed it, but sometimes you cannot help being angry.

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“That’s just being human but, if I am angry, I have learned to wait before I go in front of the cameras. When I was very angry, sometimes I skipped the media altogether. That was a problem, but I don’t do that anymore.”

One thing that can certainly cause a driver to have an outburst to the media is the pressure to perform and win within Formula 1, but Verstappen claims he doesn’t feel it that much.

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“I don’t necessarily experience that, no. Maybe that will come when we start the season with a good car,” he added.

“We know that we want to win as a team, but for now we are trying to get into that position. We got close to it at the end of the season.”

This season was the most successful of Verstappen’s career as he won three races in Austria, Germany, and Brazil and also earned his very first pole position in F1.