Formula One thrives on drivers who embody the spirit of gladiators—athletes who push themselves mercilessly in the heat of competition. Thus, it seems somewhat ironic when the sport expresses shock and outrage at Max Verstappen’s fiery language during last week’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The uproar over his swearing feels like a distraction from the real issues at hand.
When Verstappen blasted his Red Bull team for their subpar performance in Budapest, he let loose with the words “bullshit” and “fucks” in a single breathless rant, leaving the team radio censor scrambling to react.
The 26-year-old world champion faced challenges with his car, which had received last-minute upgrades that ultimately failed to deliver, resulting in poor handling and significant understeer—something Verstappen finds intolerable. The team’s strategic decisions only intensified the issues, culminating in an ill-timed attempt to overtake Lewis Hamilton, which led to a collision and a disappointing fifth-place finish.
In a display of biting humor, Verstappen responded succinctly when questioned about whether he had gone too far and disrespected his team. “They can all fuck off,” he quipped.
While Formula 1 may have been taken aback by his language, the league has reportedly reminded teams ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa that drivers should embody role model behavior. Nevertheless, Verstappen is an adult, and one cannot expect gladiators to engage in combat without some repercussions. More importantly, his visible frustration highlights just how rattled he was by his struggles.
At the Hungaroring, Verstappen was soundly defeated by a McLaren one-two finish led by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, both of whom had cars as fast, if not faster, than the Red Bull—marking a significant shift from recent seasons. In 2022, Verstappen experienced dominance with 19 wins out of 22 races. This year, although he has secured seven victories from 10 races, McLaren’s resurgence has put him back into a competitive fight reminiscent of his fierce title battle with Hamilton in 2021.
Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Verstappen expressed that his anger stemmed from a feeling of being let down and powerless. “I’m very driven like everyone else in the team; we strive for perfection,” he explained. “Now I see that achieving that every race is incredibly challenging. When things don’t go as expected, it’s natural to express your frustration, especially when adrenaline is high, and you’re unhappy with the race conditions.”
This weekend presents another challenge for him and Red Bull as he faces a 10-place grid penalty for using his fifth engine of the season, exceeding the regulation limit of four. The team accepted the potential points loss in Belgium due to the circuit’s overtaking opportunities. However, this weekend’s race is expected to be far tougher than his previous victories from sixth and fourteenth on the grid at Spa, especially with McLaren and Mercedes in the mix. Verstappen may encounter renewed frustration, particularly if Norris takes the lead.
He feels a win is out of reach, which could affect his temperament yet again, as this season warrants careful navigation. With 10 races left after Belgium, observing how the reigning champion’s demeanor evolves during what could be a volatile championship run should be truly (insert expletive here) intriguing.
There is some reason for optimism, as he led the first practice session by half a second over Piastri. However, during the afternoon’s qualifying simulations, Norris and Piastri took the top two spots, with Verstappen trailing in third, just two-tenths off, indicating a closely matched front three race pace.
