Damon Hill slams Max Verstappen over 'dangerous' F1 antics

Damon Hill has accused "dangerous" Max Verstappen of acting like Wacky Races’ villain Dick Dastardly - stating he is incapable of driving fairly.

Under-fire Verstappen is in the spotlight after his antics at last weekend's Mexican Grand Prix. He was handed a combined 20-second penalty for forcing championship rival Lando Norris off the track on two occasions.

Norris labelled Verstappen's driving as "dangerous" and McLaren CEO Zak Brown was furious with the three-time world champion, labelling his driving as "ridiculous" and insisting that the penalties didn't go far enough.

Now, 1996 world champion Hill, speaking ahead of this weekend's Brazilian GP, has given his taken. He said: “On the exit of Turn 4, Max clearly makes a beeline for the edge of the track to prevent Lando from having any chance at all. The area footage is very clear.

"He made no attempt to back off and make the corner and leave room for Lando. It was simply a case of you are not coming through.

“The second move was just daft and Dick Dastardly stuff. He accelerated to the apex and drove Lando off the track and Lando didn’t have much option. That was silly driving. Max let himself down there.

"He has such brilliance, and such competitive spirit, but I don’t think that was something to be proud of.

“It is possible to race fairly, and that is something I am not sure Max is capable of. It is not in his repertoire, it is not in his philosophy. His philosophy is you are not coming past.”

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With Verstappen only finishing sixth Mexico, Norris' second place means that the British driver is now 47 points behind the Red Bull man, with 120 points still on the table over the final four rounds.

When asked on a Sky Sports' podcast whether Verstappen's aggression is down to him feeling the heat of a title battle with Norris, Hill responded: “Yes, but that is the challenge.

“They say that sport doesn’t build character, it shows character, and his default is to revert to preventative methods rather than trying to keep it within the bounds of fairness.

"You shouldn’t be allowed to use your car as a weapon and simply block the track.”

Speaking after the race, Verstappen was unrepentant over the incident, insisting: “At the end of the day, if you agree with it or not, it doesn’t matter because the penalties are given."