Tim Coronel thinks Max Verstappen did one thing he ‘doesn’t need’ to do when racing Lando Norris

Max Verstappen’s driving has come under scrutiny this season in his battles with rivals on track during the 2024 Formula 1 season.

The Dutchman is known for pushing the rulebook to the limit, having found himself on the other end of a stewards investigation on more than one occasion.

George Russell went on a media frenzy during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after Verstappen accused him of lying to the stewards in Qatar in a bid to earn him a stronger grid penalty.

The Mercedes driver took aim at his driving standards, while also branding Verstappen a “bully” in the context of his on-track conduct at times this year.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has now claimed that his drivers will race Verstappen differently, following the first-lap incident with Oscar Piastri during the Abu Dhabi GP.

Discussing his driving on the RacingNews365NL podcast, Tim Coronel believes there was one thing the Dutchman did not need to do when racing against Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen told to be more sportsmanlike when racing Lando Norris

Verstappen’s battles with Norris were the centre of attention during the Mexican Grand Prix, when he received two 10-second time penalties for separate incidents with the McLaren driver.

It followed an incident earlier in the season, in which the Dutchman moved under braking and caused a race-ending collision with Norris during the Austrian Grand Prix.

Coronel believes the Dutchman should focus more on maximising his raw speed instead of pushing the limits of the rule book.

“I did think, and I dare say so, that Max might have taken the rules in a slightly too literal way. Max didn’t and doesn’t need that. The raw speed he has is okay,” said Coronel.

“What we actually saw in Mexico with Norris and Max, I expected [him to be] more sportsmanlike. Max doesn’t need that and with his speed and personality he is so much stronger than that.”

Max Verstappen close to one-race ban after on-track incidents with McLaren

Along with a time penalty for causing a collision with Piastri during the Abu Dhabi GP, the stewards also gave Verstappen two penalty points on his super licence.

This now puts him close to a one-race ban, as he has now amassed a total of eight points out of the 12 allowed in a 12-month period.

Verstappen’s next opportunity to have points wiped will not be until June 2025, which means he will need to avoid any incidents to prevent a major penalty.

Kevin Magnussen was the last driver to fall foul of this rule, having been banned from taking part in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this year.