Rattled Max Verstappen faces further frustration at Belgian Grand Prix

Formula One wants gladiatorial drivers, sportspeople set apart, racing on the edge in the heat of battle, so it might be considered a little rich when the sport clutches at its pearls in distaste over Max Verstappen’s vehement swearing at last week’s Hungarian Grand Prix. It is impossible not to sense that the affront at his bad language is rather missing the point.

When Verstappen launched a tirade at his Red Bull team’s poor performance in Budapest, at one point including one “bullshit” and two “fucks” in the same breathless exposition of distaste, the team radio bleeper operative would have struggled to mash his button fast

enough.

The 26-year-old world champion’s car, with upgrades fast-tracked to make it to Hungary, was underperforming and handling badly with the understeer that is an anathema to Verstappen. Strategy calls by the team only exacerbated the situation and led to him making an ill-timed lunge at Lewis Hamilton, a subsequent clash and a fifth-place finish.

With at least some sense of comic timing, his final word on the matter when it was put to him that critics believed he had gone too far and been disrespectful to his team, was pithy. “They can all fuck off,” he said.

F1 might have felt faint at the language and in the buildup to this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa has reportedly reminded teams that drivers are role models and should watch their language. Yet he is a grownup and you don’t get gladiators without a little blood being spilled. Of more weight is how angry and frustrated Verstappen was, how rattled he seemed at being on the back foot.