F1 icon reveals message given to Max Verstappen in ‘disturbing’ warning

Michelle Foster
Max Verstappen takes the chequered flag in Brazil

Max Verstappen went from 17th to 1st at the Brazilian GP

Crushing his rivals at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Jacky Ickx says Max Verstappen’s dominance was “disturbing” and could cause people to dislike him.

Verstappen wrapped up his fourth successive Drivers’ title last season, but unlike in 2023, he was pushed hard by Red Bull’s rivals with McLaren beating Red Bull to the Constructors’ title.

Max Verstappen warned ‘you punish [drivers], people start to dislike you’

While in 2023 he won 19 of 22 Grands Prix, Verstappen’s results last season only included nine victories as Red Bull spent large swathes of the season second best on the track as they battled balance issues that even Verstappen struggled to overcome.

But when he did get on top of it, he was in impressive form as he wrapped up his fourth World title with two races to spare having set himself up for championship glory with a P1 a rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix.

Lining up on the Interlagos grid in the rain and down in 17th place, there seemed to be little chance that Verstappen would break his 10-race winless streak. But that’s exactly what he did as he raced to the victory by a whopping 16 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.

It was arguably one of the best wet-weather drives witnessed in Formula 1, and it was one that reminded Formula 1 of Verstappen’s immense talent and ability to dominate.

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It was also one that Ickx warned could have created a few more enemies for the reigning World Champion.

“Max, is part of those people who have [so many achievements],” the former F1 driver told RacingNews365. “We exchange [messages] from time to time. Short messages.

“For example, the race he did in Brazil. The drama when you win too often, when you dominate a series, it becomes disturbing.

“You punish [drivers], people start to dislike you because you know the result of the race before the start, because you dominate things.

“This wasn’t the case for the last six or seven races, but when there are big difficulties, I told him, ‘You will remember Brazil’.

“Brazil will remain a legendary race where basically the clerk of the course didn’t interfere in the race itself, it would have been easy to put the safety car for 20 laps.

“So amazingly, his love level has increased in an unbelievable way. And he says, yes, it was plenty of emotions. Because when you start last and you win, people love that.

“And I know that because earlier in my life, I started last at Le Mans and I won with the shortest distance at the end. It’s much nicer to be a hunter than being chased.”

Despite months of being publicly courted by Mercedes, Verstappen will continue as a Red Bull driver in the F1 2025 championship where he will be chasing a fifth World title on the trot.

However, he warned that retaining the title won’t be easy.

“We won’t be the favourites, but that’s okay,” Verstappen told Servus TV.

“We still have to change a lot of things to be number one again. But that’s okay and maybe sometimes it’s good not to be the favourite at the start of the season.”

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