Red Bull Content Pool
F1 News
Gasly: Verstappen 'smart at using the rules' with his 'unique racng style'
Max Verstappen's fierce and aggressive driving style that he races with in Formula 1 has been likened to that of Ayrton Senna's from years ago. Sometimes there was an uncompromising side to the Brazilan's driving which may not have worked out, which we have also seen from Verstappen in the last couple of Grand Prix weekends. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly was asked if there are any similarities between the two drivers.
Senna, arguably one of the greatest drivers to ever grace the sport of Formula 1, was known for his aggressive and no-nonsense racing on the track, sometimes leading to some incidents on track as a result. Those aspects of driving also link themselves to Verstappen, with a comparison between the two drivers made as the F1 circus arrives in Senn's home country for round 21 of the 2024 F1 season.
Gasly was asked if there are any actual similarities between Senna's and Verstappen's racing in the paddock at Sao Paulo, to which the Frenchman said: "It would be better to ask people that have seen Senna racing live and seen racing weekend after weekend. All I can say is from the many videos I've seen, it was very hard going up against him.
"Max’s racing style is quite unique on the grid, It seems like if you go wheel to wheel to him, the outcome is quite open and slightly different from what you’ll face with other guys," Gasly continued. "Whether it's fair or not, it's another conversation. It’s guaranteed hard racing and the outcome can be... It seems unlikely to end up as an overtaking and can be an incident or a penalty."
Verstappen has not changed his style at all
In his younger years, the Dutchman was no different: "All of us who raced in karting [with Max] was the same. After many starts, I ended up in the grass because Max started behind me, and it was just the way he used to race back then, I think. He's also quite smart at using the regulation and takes everything up to the limit, and when you’re fighting for a world championship, that’s what you expect a guy like him to do."
The Alpine driver was then asked whether that approach is fair: "To be at the limit of the regulation [is]. Whether the regulations is written properly is another question," concluded Gasly, critical of the current regulations in his final words.
This article was created in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!