EXCLUSIVE: Verstappen CHANGE revealed ahead of 2025 in major championship blow

A change in driver attitudes towards Max Verstappen has been revealed ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The Dutchman may have closed out the 2024 season with a fourth world title, but his driving style was called into question towards the end of the year.

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An ambitious move on Oscar Piastri in Abu Dhabi prompted criticism against Verstappen, whilst his aggression allegedly translated off-track towards George Russell in an ongoing feud that originated from the Qatar Grand Prix.

The champion hit out at the Mercedes star following the race, claiming he was ‘two-faced' after he campaigned for Verstappen to receive a grid penalty after qualifying in Lusail.

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However, Russell responded to Verstappen's comments in Abu Dhabi, and alleged that the Red Bull star had delivered a threat towards him prior to the race.

Speaking exclusively to GPFans through Coin Poker, former F1 driver Johnny Herbert addressed the feud between the two drivers, and Russell’s response to Verstappen.

When asked if he thought drivers needed to display a similarly confrontational attitude towards Verstappen in order to beat the champion, Herbert supported the attitude Russell displayed in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and suggested that more drivers may take that approach into the 2025 championship battle.

"Yeah, I think you do. We all know Max is going to race you as hard as you possibly can and race you off of the circuit sometimes, as we've seen, but that's Max, that's what he does," Herbert said.

"But you've got to stand up to someone like that, because if you allow them to keep pushing you off the circuit Max knows that he can do that, and it's going to be sort of an easy win.

"It's good to see George do that actually, and I think it's becoming more apparent within the drivers that they're not going to stand for it anymore, and they're actually going to fight back.

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"I think that's great, because that's exactly what you have to do as a driver, you have to intimidate."

Herbert also claimed that drivers will be more likely to push back against Verstappen's aggressive racing style in 2025, potentially causing him more problems in the pursuit of a fifth world championship title.

"What Max does very well is intimidate the other drivers. But it seems to be slightly now twisting that the other drivers are going, 'Okay, we’ve pushed that back on you as well’, and then the pressure possibly changes," Herbert added.

"I think Max is aware that there probably is a slight change with the mentality and the wanting to battle him on the racetrack and not just to sort of let him walk all over them.

"The outspokenness of George is really refreshing, and it has to be that way. You've got to be intimidating back because that's the only way you're going to beat someone like Max, is really pushing to his absolute limits."

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Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

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