What Makes Max Verstappen So Unlikeable?

Let’s talk about the elephant in the (pretty large) room of Formula 1 right now: Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion from the Netherlands who somehow manages to make every F1 fan either worship him or curse his name. His controversial nature has become even more prominent over the past few seasons (which, let’s be honest, he dominated), and especially now, in a season where he’s not winning. But why? Why do so many people dislike Max Verstappen? He’s friends with loads of drivers on the grid. He’s funny and surprisingly chill in interviews. He even has a cat. A cute one, at that. But this article isn’t about Max’s soft side. It’s about the lion, the aggressive, fiery side of him that either thrills or infuriates fans. Because love him or hate him, the one thing you can’t do with Max Verstappen is ignore him.

Verstappen’s F1 debut wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. Not because of a shady contract like Piastri’s, or because his dad paid for the seat like Stroll. Max’s 2015 entry with Toro Rosso raised eyebrows for different reasons. For starters, he was only 17. And he was the son of Jos Verstappen, a former F1 driver with a reputation that’s… complicated. Jos wasn’t exactly adored. His F1 record was underwhelming, and off-track he was known for aggressive, even violent behaviour. So, when Max hit the grid with a similarly aggressive driving style, people braced for another Verstappen hurricane.

That aggressive flair, however, fast-tracked him to Red Bull. And not just to any seat, he joined next to Daniel Ricciardo, one of the most likeable drivers in the sport. Ricciardo was clearly Red Bull’s golden boy. But then Max started challenging him. Beating him, even. Suddenly the team dynamic wasn’t so simple. Were you Team Daniel or Team Max? And let’s be honest, most people were Team Daniel. Then came the infamous 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Ricciardo crashed into the back of Verstappen after a chaotic intra-team battle, taking both cars out. That moment was the final straw. Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of the season, and many fans never forgave Max for what they saw as forcing Daniel out, and ultimately derailing his career. So, while Verstappen’s driving was impressive, his public image was a mess. He came across as cocky, brash, and unapologetic, traits that would stick with him for years to come.

By 2021, Max was no longer the teenage wildcard. He was a genuine title contender, going wheel-to-wheel with Lewis Hamilton in one of the fiercest championship battles F1 has ever seen. Everything came down to the final race in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton dominated the race, until Nicholas Latifi crashed with just a few laps to go. That crash triggered a Safety Car and set the stage for what would become the most controversial ending in modern F1 history. Hamilton stayed out on old hard tyres. Verstappen pitted for fresh softs. When the Safety Car initially came out, no lapped cars were allowed to unlap themselves, then, in a surprise U-turn, only the five cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were allowed to do so. One lap later, the race restarted, and Max passed Lewis for the win. Verstappen won the race. He won the championship. But many fans, and drivers, felt that win was tainted. FIA rules were bent, clarity was lost, and it looked and felt like chaos. To this day, people still refer to Hamilton as an eight-time world champion. Verstappen’s first title didn’t earn him universal celebration, it earned him a legion of new haters. #TeamLH was born.

Verstappen’s racing style has always been aggressive, but it’s not just about hard defending or fearless overtakes. It’s the way he races. Ruthless. Relentless. Sometimes reckless. That’s why he’s nicknamed “the lion.” But sometimes, the lion bites a little too hard. Let’s fast-forward to just a few weeks ago: 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen was having a tough weekend. He wasn’t confident in the car. He’d already made contact with Leclerc on the straight. And then came a late-race Safety Car that bunched up the field. On the restart, Verstappen, on hard tyres, struggled. He lost a position to Leclerc. Then George Russell swept past him with a brave move up the inside. That was the trigger. His engineer told him to give the place back to avoid a penalty. Verstappen appeared to comply, until he didn’t. Moments later, he dive-bombed Russell into Turn 5, making contact and forcing him wide. The stewards handed Max a 10-second penalty and three penalty points, bringing him to a total of 11 (just one point away from a race ban). He dropped from P5 to P10 in the final standings.