Verstappen defends aggressive racing style

Max Verstappen has said he is not breaking any rules with his aggressive driving style, especially when forced into defending his position.

The Dutchman has irked other drivers by moving lines under braking and prompting other drivers to quickly re-adjust.

Kimi Raikkonen has said in the past that Verstappen would cause accidents with his style of driving, and while there is no bad blood between the two, Verstappen thinks the criticism he faces is down to others being unsettled by his pace.

“Kimi is cool now,” Verstappen said via The Guardian. “As racing drivers you always have those moments that it gets a bit heated but then you start from zero again.”

"It’s not illegal. It doesn’t say anywhere in the rule book you can’t do what I did.

“When you’re new they always try to be hard on you. If you’re a good, quick new guy there’s more attention on you.

“And when you start to beat the established big guys they don’t like it – which is normal.

“I’ve just been myself. I say what I think and if somebody attacks me unfairly I definitely tell them."

Verstappen's driving prompted the FIA to enforce what was unofficially known as the 'Verstappen rule', which penalised aggressive manoeuvres in braking zones, but it was a short-lived addition to the rule book.

He added: “They changed the rules for a few races but then they got rid of it again.

“There was not really anything I was doing wrong.

“I was on the limit but you always have to find a limit with everything.”