Max Verstappen has been brutal in wheel-to-wheel combat since he made his Formula 1 debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso.
He joined the grid at 17 years old and was the youngest driver ever to start a Grand Prix. He immediately hit the ground running and scored points in his second event.
Verstappen is very difficult to overtake as he is uncompromising in combat when attacking and defending over a race distance.
The Red Bull driver was particularly decisive earlier in his career when battling Lewis Hamilton for his first world championship in 2021.
He is on the verge of his fourth world championship and can win the title if he outscores his nearest rival Lando Norris at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen told the BBC that he is reluctant to give racing room to another driver looking to pass him around the outside.
Max Verstappen explained he doesn’t ‘race like that’ in giving room on the outside
Verstappen has built a reputation of being very difficult to overtake which gives him a slight advantage when battling other cars.
Other drivers, such as Valtteri Bottas, are much less brutal on the track, and the Finnish driver lacked aggression at times when racing at Mercedes.
Verstappen and Norris’ relationship may be changing amid battles on the circuit this season, including the controversial battle at the United States Grand Prix.
A lot of modern Formula 1 circuits including the Circuit of the Americas have tarmac runoff on the outside which doesn’t punish errors as much as gravel.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen and Lando Norris friendship took ‘bit of a battering’ in title battle
Verstappen explained some drivers aren’t as ruthless as he is in wheel-to-wheel combat and his approach depends on track design.
He said: “Well, me personally, I don’t race like that [giving room on the outside],” he says and chuckles.
“When I race with someone, he will not be able to overtake me around the outside. That’s how I grew up racing.
“Some drivers are just a bit more passive in racing, that’s just how they are. And I know that in F1 I can’t hang it around the outside because they will push me off. It’s a racing instinct.
“It depends on the track layout,” Verstappen says, echoing the views of other drivers that expansive asphalt run-off areas lead to this sort of racing because there is no penalty for going off track.
“Of course when the track is naturally the limit, no-one tries to go around the outside because they know that, so you then try to go for the cut-back or set yourself up in a different way.”
Max Verstappen may have a more difficult championship battle in 2025
Verstappen is on the verge of his fourth consecutive world championship which would allow him to join a very exclusive club of drivers.
The Dutchman may have more of a battle on his hands next season as McLaren continue to improve and Ferrari have the superb driver line-up of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton.
The cars are staying similar to this season, and if Verstappen is under pressure, he needs to use all of his skills in combat.
Despite other teams potentially developing, Verstappen may have the upper hand on his teammate is Sergio Perez stays.
