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Verstappen gets high praise on and off the track: 'All about the battles'
- Nicole Mulder
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris locked horns on several occasions on track in 2024 throughout their championship battle, but their rivalry did not affect their relationship off the track. Former driver Jacky Ickx sees that has changed over the years in the competition, so that is now possible.
Jacky Ickx on Verstappen and Norris' friendship
Ickx, who won eight F1 careers throughout his career and competed in the 60s and 70s, explains it was hard to imagine something similar happen back then. "But the risk we took was much higher. And because of that, racing looks different. I don't know what Norris should do, but I know he is young and the world belongs to young people," he told the Mundo Deportivo newspaper.
"About Verstappen: I met him at an event. He was very nice. I thought he was a good guy, very different from his driving style. He stands for attacking driving, and that's what racing is about. It's about battles, and battles are decided in thousandths of a second," added the 80-year-old Belgian.
Ickx: 'F1 drivers used to be like mercenaries'
Ickx notes a big change in today's drivers and how they interact with each other, but sees the changed environment plays a big part in that. "They have changed a lot because the work has also changed. We used to be like mercenaries. Now everything is very professional and you have to be good at all aspects, not just driving," the Belgian explained.
"You have to be good at marketing, you have to know how to sell yourself well, you have to be a good ambassador, there are different activities, you have to read data, it's a different planet," the former F1 driver added, but he also thinks there is no need to compare at all.
"For me, living in the present is the most important thing. I am not nostalgic about the past. I think things as they are now are fine. We are privileged to see that there is a top to reach and that every year there is only one person who can reach it," the former Ferrari driver and multiple-time 24 of Le Mans winner concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sárközi
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