Max Verstappen deserves credit, not criticism, for his driving style which has turned him into Formula 🌃1’s four-time champion, it has been argued.

The Red Bull driver’s on-track tactics came under scrut♑iny last season after collisions with McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was putting pressure on his lead in the drivers’ standings.

Verstappen and Norris clash⛦ed in Austria and Mexico, testing their friendship, and raising eyebrows about the F1 cham🌺pion’s driving.

“Race craft is possibly Verstappen’s weakness, only when it comes tℱo head-to-head battles,” Lewis Larkam told the Crash F1 podcast.

“We saw a couple of collisions with Norris last season. We know he’s had big crashes with Lewis Hamilton during the 2ꦍ021 title fight.

“It is potentially his only weakness.

“Particularly with Hamilton, there seems to be a magnet. They always end up on the same 🔴piece of tarmac.”

Aggression 'a last resort' for Max Verstappen

But Connor McDonagh argued: “But for Verstappen it’s a last resor൲t. In 2021, Mercedes had the faster car.

“In Saudi Arabia he had🐎 no ch🅷ance of winning unless he drove like that. It was the same at Silverstone.

“You can say it’s a criticism, to some extent. If he 🍎gets a race ban, fair enough.

“But in Mexico it ಌpaid off. He is very calculated.

“He loses his head sometimes but it’s a minor thing. I feel like a lot of the drivers lose their headsꦅ, it does happen.

“I don’t think it’s fair to criticise him.

“Lewis can be aggressive, Senna, Schumacher…

“It’s a trait that these drivers are prepared to step o🥂ver the line, and he de🌠serves credit for it.

“He has shown time and t🔥ime again that he’s the top dog in ꦬFormula 1. And people are scared by him!

“They are, that’s 🐎the reality. Norris, a♎nd even Hamilton is cautious against him.”

Lewis Larkam added: “He knows how to work it to his favouꦡr.

“Drivers are scare𒉰d to overtake, to a certain extent.

“You can’t💝 overtake Verstappen around the outside because he will cleverly ease you off tꦅhe track.

“He loses his head sometimes, but he know🙈s how to approach those racing dynamics.

“The only way you can really overtake Verstappen is to send it down the inside but that can cause a collis🐷ion because he will close the door, as he’s entitled to do.”