Verstappen changes his driving style: 'Hamilton soon to be last year's Max"

Many people have noticed the changed driving style of Max Verstappen. Is it due to the new competitor in Charles Leclerc or has Verstappen become calmer after winning his first world title? Pedro de la Rosa thinks the latter.

Verstappen is calmer

In 2021, Verstappen fought a tough battle with Lewis Hamilton for the world title. From the first race, the Dutchman made his mark with aggressive overtaking. It was clear that he wanted to take the throne from Hamilton and this led to several confrontations throughout the year.

In 2022, Hamilton and Mercedes are not yet at the front, but it is between Leclerc and Verstappen. In Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the two already fought with each other, but they did not hit each other once. When De la Rosa in the F1 Nation Podcast is asked if Verstappen drives differently than in 2021 he is very clear: "He is definitely."

'Hamilton is becoming the Max of last year'

''He's racing like a true champion now. He has to defend the crown and think about points. At one point Lewis and Mercedes will come back for sure, how will Max race against this. It will be different. Then Lewis will be last year's Max. He will be super aggressive towards Max, where Verstappen will think more about the championship. It will be a different Max. I don't think that Max only drives differently against Leclerc because they have been karting with each other."

In doing so, the Spaniard cites a duel in Austria between the two in 2019, when the intensity increased. "Do you remember when they fought in Austria? Those were the same drivers and then Verstappen was extremely aggressive towards Leclerc because he had nothing to lose and wanted to win per se," the former F1 driver makes his point: Verstappen has grown and now has something to lose.