Why Max Verstappen’s angry temperament might cost him the Formula 1 title

In the past three seasons, Max Verstappen has dominated Formula 1, and with that, he has shown his calm and relaxed temperament, winning nearly every race he has started in.

After a dominant start to 2024, cracks have started to show in the Red Bull team, with Mercedes and McLaren producing a car that can compete with Verstappen until the race ends. In the last two races, Lewis Hamilton won the British and Oscar Piastri won the Hungarian GP.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen went three races without a win for the first time since 2021, and the old 'Mad Max' persona was back for the world to see after an angry rant on the team radio.

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According to the GPFans website, on the radio, Verstappen said: "It's quite impressive how we let ourselves get completely undercut and just completely **** my race."

He continued on the radio with more expletives and later said, "I don't think we need to apologize; we just need to do a better job. I don't know why some people think you can't be vocal on the radio. This is a sport. If you don't like it, stay home."

Verstappen's anger and poor temperament were deciding factors in why he couldn't win a world championship before 2021. In 2018, he pushed Esteban Ocon into the paddock after he was knocked out of the race, and in 2020, he called Lance Stroll a 'mongol' after colliding in practice.

It's safe to say Verstappen can lose his head extremely quickly when things don't go his way, and with McLaren and Mercedes competing for his number-one position, his poor temperament could quite easily cost him the world title.

Red Bull can only blame themselves for the competitive monster they have created in Verstappen, as they have shown they do very little punishing when the Dutchman steps over the line with anger and frustration.

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His team has given Verstappen everything he needs to be successful, but it's a double-bladed sword, with Verstappen thinking he can do whatever he wants and ignore clear team orders. The Dutchman knows he's the best driver on the grid and has the power to do what he pleases.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, his know-it-all personality and clear disregard for the team were there for people to see. He was asked to watch his tires and replied: "No mate, don't give me that ****. You guys gave me this **** strategy - I'm trying to rescue what's left."

Planet F1 reports the departure of Adrian Newey could have had a significant impact on Verstappen, with his wealth of knowledge and degree of certainty missing from the Red Bull paddock.

McLaren's MCL38 and Mercedes' W15 look to be on par with Red Bull's RB20 and with Verstappen's selfish attitude to not follow a game plan, the McLaren and Mercedes drivers will be licking their lips at following the correct team strategy to beat Verstappen and potentially stop the Dutchman from winning a fourth title.

If more cracks show and Verstappen continues with his lone wolf and angry mentality, his 76-point lead at the top of the championship will quickly come down.

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