F1 champion Max Verstappen 'overly aggressive' with Lewis Hamilton claims rival boss

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen — Photo: © IMAGO

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Verstappen 'overly aggressive' with Hamilton claims rival F1 boss

The two F1 champions have had their fair share of on-track clashes.

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 18 November 2025 08:27

A rival F1 boss has stated that reigning champion Max Verstappen has often been 'overly aggressive' when competing against racing legend Lewis Hamilton.

The two champions were once fierce rivals, with their most famous run-in of course coming at the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

It was at the Yas Marina Circuit where Hamilton's chances of winning a record-breaking eighth drivers' title were snatched from him on the final lap at the hands of Verstappen, with the Dutchman instead claiming the first championship of his career after a controversial safety car.

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Verstappen has gone on to win every drivers' championship since, whilst Hamilton is currently struggling to even make it to the podium with new team Ferrari, but that hasn't stopped the pair from continuing to battle it out on track.

The aggressive driving style and at times snappy demeanour of Red Bull's four-time champion earned him the title of F1's villain in the past. But in 2025, Verstappen has instead taken up the role of the underdog, and if he manages to claw back the title across the final three races of the season, that could cement him as one of the sport's true greats alongside Hamilton.

But he will have to bring the fight to McLaren's driver duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in order to take a fifth consecutive championship, and he has just three rounds left to do so.

Brown: Hamilton should be an 8-time champion

So, what do Verstappen's rivals say about him? Whilst many have been converted to fans in 2025 thanks to his shock comeback against frontrunners McLaren, the team's boss Zak Brown is still yet to be convinced by the Dutchman's actions behind the wheel.

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, the McLaren Racing CEO said: “I don’t want to disparage Max…. He’s a four-time world champion…He can be a bruiser, too aggressive on track. His arrogance comes out.”

“If you look at some of the greatest champions in Formula 1, they’ve had some arrogance about them,” he added. “They get their elbows out.”

Asked if Verstappen has gone too far on occasion, Brown said: “Max has crossed the line on track at times…In Brazil against Lewis Hamilton over time. A handful of his passes on Lewis were overly aggressive.”

Though Verstappen may have come out on top eventually in his fight against Hamilton for the 2021 title, the pair battled hard for the entire season, with the 2021 Brazilian GP standing out as one of Hamilton's best performances.

The seven-time champion persisted on his mission to overtake the Dutchman after being arguably forced off the track by the Red Bull star, with no investigation launched by the FIA.

Unable to rely on a verdict in his favour from the stewards, Hamilton instead hunted down Verstappen to take the chequered flag in a victory which was especially impressive when you consider that he started from P10.

It was moments of brilliance like this that made Hamilton's 2021 championship loss such a heartbreaking one, and perhaps in Brown's eyes, one which was unfair.

In the same interview, the 54-year-old was asked 'Can Lewis Hamilton become a record breaking eight-time F1 champion?'

The Ferrari star's rival boss simply responded: "He should already be."

F1 Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Zak Brown