Damon Hill can often be critical of Max Verstappen. The previous week, reacting to a quote by Alain Prost where the Frenchman compared the Dutchman to Niki Lauda, the 1996 world champion said the Austrian drove with his ‘mind, not his fists’. Today however, Hill praised the defending world champion after the Sprint.
After the Chinese Grand Prix, the FIA announced that stricter rules regarding the ‘mini-DRS’ will come into play in Formula 1. However, even before the 2025 season got underway at the Australian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing had its say on the matter to the sport’s governing body. Along with that, 1996 world champion Damon Hill took to social media to respond to one of GPblog’s social posts.
Former F1 world champion Damon Hill has been quite critical of Max Verstappen and his conduct on track, especially during the tailend of the 2024 season. Earlier today, the 1996 world title winner responded to GPblog on Instagram, commenting on a social media post that quoted Frenchman Alain Prost, who compared the Dutchman to Niki Lauda.
Damon Hill is no longer working for Sky Sports, but the pundit, viewed as one of Max Verstappen’s most ardent critics, will carry out an analyst role for the Australian Grand Prix weekend. In Melbourne, he will work with an Australian broadcaster, where they will undoubtedly talk about the highly anticipated battle between the reigning Formula 1 champion and Lando Norris.
Following his forced departure from Sky Sports, Damon Hill is currently looking for work. The former world champion is keen to stay in Formula 1. In what role? It could be anything, he tells The Telegraph: From analyst to even working for an F1 team.
Red Bull are failing in their responsibility to Formula 1 by refusing to acknowledge when Max Verstappen has broken the rules, Damon Hill believes.
The 1996 world champion also accused the team of resorting to “jingoism” when defending their driver.
“I’m not anti-Max,” he told The Telegraph. “This is the point. I think Max is brilliant. I like him. I mean what’s not to like? He’s sensational. But when I felt he overstepped the mark, I said so.
“And I think Red Bull have a responsibility, their team management has a responsibility, to the sport, you know? If their driver goes over the limit on occasion, they have a responsibility to say ‘You can’t do that.’ And they don’t. That’s always been my issue with them. That they have almost given Max carte blanche and protected their driver from not sticking to the code, if you like.”
He said this happened at times last year when Verstappen was accused of deliberately forcing Lando Norris off the track.
“Max correctly interpreted to his advantage the rule about overtaking and being ahead at the apex on the inside. There’s nothing in the rules that says you can’t do that. And it’s exciting to see people dive down the inside.
“Except that no other driver does it. And if someone was to do it to him, he’d cry like a baby. And that’s one of my issues with them. Red Bull simply can’t accept that. No, it really is slightly disappointing, to say the least, that they like to be thought of as the hard kids on the block, but when something doesn’t go their way, they cry about it.”
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Hill, who was a member of Sky’s Formula 1 coverage team until last year, dismissed accusations of “bias” levelled at him.
“As I say, I like Max. What I don’t like is jingoism. And I don’t like the fact that it became a ‘You’re against us because we’re not British’ and all that nonsense, which was used as a way of pressuring us. It’s utterly unfair to suggest that there is any kind of anti-Dutch thing going on. What can you do? I thought I was there to express my opinion.”
Several of Red Bull’s top team members refused to be interviewed by Sky’s presenters at the Mexican Grand Prix in 2022. Hill suggested Sky fear a repeat.
“Red Bull fight their corner very forcefully,” he said. “They don’t like criticism of Max. And they didn’t like, particularly, some of the things that were said.
“On the whole they’ve always taken the view that Sky are British-centric and biased, which is really unfair I think. Actually I think there is a desire [the other way]. I don’t think Sky want to be accused of being biased at all. I think they want to be a fair broadcaster of the sport – credit where credit’s due and all that.
“They also do not want to be denied access to a very important figure in this sport. And I think Red Bull know that, and they apply pressure if they need to.”
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With a brief statement via X, Damon Hill announced a few months ago that he had left Sky Sports. It did not clarify, however, whether the former world champion had taken it upon himself to leave or if the Briton had been sent away by the network. It is now clear that the latter was the case.
Damon Hill has harshly criticised Red Bull Racing and especially Max Verstappen in an interview with British newspaper The Telegraph. The former Formula 1 world champion stated in the newspaper that the Dutchman is actually a big whiner.
