Palmer battled with Verstappen: "Fast, clinical and aggressive"

Jolyon Palmer drove almost two full seasons in Formula 1 and knows what it is like to have Max Verstappen as an opponent. The former driver who is now active as an F1 analyst stated that it was clear to him from the very first moment that Verstappen was going to go far in the royal class of motorsport.

"I briefly raced Max on my debut in Australia in 2016. Running in ninth for Renault, I held Max’s team mate Carlos Sainz behind me late on, much to the Dutchman’s frustration, given he couldn’t have a crack at me himself. Finally, Sainz passed and Verstappen came through on the next corner, taking no prisoners. I was sadly shuffled out of the points," said Palmer, who eventually finished 11th just outside the points.

In the Grands Prix that followed, Palmer and Verstappen did compete a few more times. "That summed up Max in the years I raced him. Fast, clinical and aggressive. He was so bullish on the radio as well, asserting himself – he didn’t care what anybody thought," said the racing driver.

Verstappen very confident

Very few duels were fought between the two drivers, as after only four races in 2016, Verstappen replaced Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull Racing. It was a switch that didn't really surprise the 31-year-old Brit at the time. "You could see his confidence from his time with Toro Rosso already and it showed when he won under pressure on his Red Bull debut."