Rico Verhoeven enjoys Verstappen: 'He is the best version of himself'

Rico Verhoeven often expressed his appreciation for Max Verstappen and also after the Turkish Grand Prix the Dutch kickboxer is full of praise for his countryman. Verstappen finished second in Istanbul behind Valtteri Bottas and took over the lead in the championship from Lewis Hamilton.

Although Verstappen was no match for Mercedes' speed, he still maximised the result. Moreover, title rival Hamilton finished only fifth in Istanbul. "What I think is very clever is that Max can leave things as they are and really focus on showing the best version of himself," Verhoeven told The Telegraph.

According to Verhoeven, the Dutch Grand Prix was also a good example of this. "Think back to Zandvoort, when the pressure was huge, but he still took pole and won the race." Verstappen has already won seven Grands Prix this season and has also finished second five times.

"Our sports are intense. A kickboxer can get hit and fall over, Max can end up in the tyre pile," Verhoeven compares the sports of the two Dutchmen. "Only a handful of people can handle that well. Max is one of them. I'm also very good at it, by the way."