EXCLUSIVE: How Max Verstappen’s approach to racing on track compares to that of Michael Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher was famous for his uncompromising approach on track (Image: Getty)

Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen have a lot in common. They are both among the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history, have amassed an army of passionate fans and are also known for their uncompromising style of racing on track, both having been accused of going over the line at times when duelling with rivals.

We saw it with Verstappen throughout his season-long battle for the title with Lewis Hamilton in 2021, which got steadily more vicious as year year went on. The Dutchman was also accused of driving too aggressively at times in 2024 when battling on track with Lando Norris and was heavily punished at the Mexican Grand Prix for his driving standards, one week on from also battling aggressively at the United States GP in Austin, Texas.

Schumacher, though celebrated for his success in F1, was also very aggressive in wheel-to-wheel combat. He was famously accused of deliberately crashing into Damon Hill at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix to win the title, and was stripped of second place in the 1997 championship for attempting, but failing, to take out rival Jacques Villeneuve in the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez.

According to former F1 driver Christian Danner, who covered Schumacher’s whole career as a TV analyst, the German’s style led to his rivals at the time disliking him. “When I speak about Michael it’s always a problem, because everybody in Germany would like to see him as a shining superhero without any faults,” he told Express Sport.

“Mika [Hakkinen] has expressed himself quite clearly on Michael’s character on the track, on his fairness or unfairness about his approach. I think Mika has more credibility than me to actually say how he was like, and he did in so many interviews, and the outcome of these interviews was very clear. He was not a particularly fair driver, as Mika expressed himself very clearly there.

Verstappen has also been accused of going too far on track but Danner says there’s a difference (Image: Getty)

“That led to a limited love affair between the rest of the field and Michael. On top of that, someone who is so incredibly successful usually creates a lot of disbelief and a lot of skepticism about how he got there, because at the end of the day, all of the drivers in Formula 1 believed that they could actually do the same. They weren’t happy to accept that he got it all and they didn’t get it. So this is probably on top of the way of driving which led to this situation.”

But even though some might suggest Red Bull star Verstappen is in a similar category, as a driver who has been highly successful in F1 but also criticised for his actions on track at times, Danner believes there is a key difference between the two which sets them apart.

Asked if he sees similarities with Verstappen, he added: “In that respect, clearly no. The general approach, as far as his attitude is concerned is, ‘Me, myself, I first, and then we see’. But any champion is like that. That’s not a problem. But Max is a lot more eloquent and a lot more open about these things. He explains them, and he plays it by the rulebook.

“If you remember the overtaking maneuvers in Texas with Lando, Max played it by the rulebook, and that was extremely clever. It wasn’t particularly nice, but do you have to expect your opponent to be nice to you? No. He doesn’t have any reason to be nice. But Max knows what he’s doing, and he knows it to an extent where you just watch it and you can’t believe it. He’s really brilliant, exceptional, and unique.”