Max Verstappen risks being labelled 'unfair' as battle with Lewis Hamilton heats up

Max Verstappen risks tarnishing his legacy if he continues his aggressive tactics against Lewis Hamilton in their ongoing title battle for the 2021 Formula 1 Drivers' Championship, according to Martin Bundle.

The two title protagonists head into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi level on points after Hamilton won their recent battle in Saudi Arabia, with Verstappen finishing second despite being handed two time penalties for clashes with the Mercedes driver. The Red Bull Racing driver's aggressive approach saw him collide with the Briton, and it was not the first time this season.

Brundle had nothing but praise for Verstappen's race craft and ability to extract the full potential from his car, but feels that his aggressive tactics to defend against Hamilton could see him ruin his legacy going forward, even if he wins his first F1 world championship this season.

The former F1 racer and current Sky Sports commentator feels that there are times when Verstappen goes over the limit to defend or complete an overtaking manoeuvre, especially against Hamilton. The Dutchman was let off when he ran his title rival off the road at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but was penalised for a similar incident in Saudi Arabia.
"I'm in awe of Verstappen's driving skills and racing nous, and have championed him since the Chinese Grand Prix of 2015 when he was in the Toro Rosso," Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column. "His touch and control behind the wheel is something to behold, but it saddens me that he's resorting to such tactics, he's better than that."

"And for all his outwardly carefree attitude it will be such a shame if his legacy is to be labelled as an unfair driver," he added. "Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher had their faults too, and I was on the receiving end from both of them on occasions, but it's a sizeable dent on their immense reputations, not a positive."

Verstappen goes into the final race of the season in the lead on account of winning one more race than Hamilton. The situation did raise the question about the Red Bull driver trying to potentially risk another collision with the Mercedes driver, which will give him the title, but Jos Verstappen insisted that his son will not resort to deciding the title in such a manner.