Max Verstappen has finally listened to Niki Lauda years after ‘not acceptable’ verdict

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Max Verstappen is entering the part of his career where it can be considered that he is in his prime.

2025 marked the most impressive display of driving by the Dutchman yet, as he kept himself in a drivers’ championship battle that he probably shouldn’t have been in.

His defiant performance was symbolic of a four-time champion, but still left him and Red Bull agonisingly short of a fifth straight triumph.

Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, there are doubts over whether Verstappen will even be a title contender as his team brings their own engine to the track for the first time ever.

Is Max Verstappen making an excuse for losing out on the 2025 F1 title to Lando Norris?

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Oliver Minzlaff dismissed a ‘nonsense’ Verstappen claim after suggestions that he may be the ‘boss’ of things behind the scenes.

Verstappen may ‘want to’ leave Red Bull in 2026 if their engine fails to live up to expectations. He’s a driver who loves to always be in the fight for wins and won’t accept his situation otherwise.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen has changed how he celebrates winning F1 races after ‘particularly poor’ verdict

Niki Lauda once told Max Verstappen he drove ‘too aggressively’ and now he has changed

Verstappen has a ‘deep passion’ for motorsport, which is why he is often seen sim racing away from the paddock, or driving in other series, such as GT3 racing.

His racecraft and approach on track are things that have improved immensely since he first arrived on the grid, though. His first campaign with Red Bull in 2016 threw up some interesting moments.

The 28-year-old had a bad habit of making late moves in defence and being a bit aggressive towards his rivals. At the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, he even managed to annoy Kimi Raikkonen.

Speaking after the Mexican Grand Prix that same year, Mercedes advisor Niki Lauda had some strong words for Verstappen.

“And Verstappen then rams him off the track,” he told GPToday. “This could have cost Nico the championship. It is not acceptable. It’s Verstappen’s fault. He drives too aggressively. At some point, he has to realise it.”

Nowadays, that version of him is rarely seen on track. He’s a lot more respectful in combat, and my mind casts back to moves such as his daring lap one overtake on Oscar Piastri in Imola.

Simply put, he races cleaner than he did when he was younger. He’s not as desperate (maybe because he has won so much now), and this year’s Spanish Grand Prix clash with George Russell feels like a bit of an exception, rather than the rule.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen ‘wasn’t convinced’ by one of Helmut Marko’s Red Bull driver decisions this year

Could anyone compete with Max Verstappen in an equal car?

Although it’s a fairly open-ended question that will probably never be answered, it’s always fascinating to think about how the grid would stack up if they all raced the same cars.

Charles Leclerc could match Verstappen, according to ex-Formula 1 star Riccardo Patrese, who rates the Monegasque driver highly.

He arrived on the grid not long after Verstappen, but has been chasing an elusive first title ever since, stuck with a Ferrari team that cannot seem to get enough right to compete.

George Russell is probably a fair shout, too. He compared well against a strong Lewis Hamilton in 2022 and remains one of the most consistent drivers on the grid. Other than that, it’s hard to say who else might challenge, other than the two McLarens.