I think it’s telling that when Lando was approaching George his engineer warned him- "We know what Russell is like. He’s all or nothing so just have patience with him. "
There are a few drivers on the grid that the others are more cautious of because of their driving style. As long as they race within the rules it’s fine and people tiptoe around the issue, but no one wants to have their race ended over a boneheaded move that was never on. Sometimes it’s aggressive driving, sometimes it’s incompetence.
Every situation is different but there do seem to be a few drivers more prone to that behavior or to making those mistakes.
I suppose it can be beneficial to have a reputation for being unyielding as well. Verstappen redefined the boundaries of what is permitted in F1, and Hamilton before him. Senna is famous for his “back out or crash” quote.
At a certain point, the people you’re racing will know how far you’re willing to go and you’ll force them to take evasive action. At that point it doesn’t really come across as boneheaded driving anymore.
I think in most cases, aggressive driving is just a form of incompetence. Or inexperience. In a lot of cases, drivers only have to make the same mistake once or twice before they change things up and become more judicious in choosing when to take big risks and send it.
I think it’s telling that when Lando was approaching George his engineer warned him- "We know what Russell is like. He’s all or nothing so just have patience with him. "
There are a few drivers on the grid that the others are more cautious of because of their driving style. As long as they race within the rules it’s fine and people tiptoe around the issue, but no one wants to have their race ended over a boneheaded move that was never on. Sometimes it’s aggressive driving, sometimes it’s incompetence.
Every situation is different but there do seem to be a few drivers more prone to that behavior or to making those mistakes.
I suppose it can be beneficial to have a reputation for being unyielding as well. Verstappen redefined the boundaries of what is permitted in F1, and Hamilton before him. Senna is famous for his “back out or crash” quote.
At a certain point, the people you’re racing will know how far you’re willing to go and you’ll force them to take evasive action. At that point it doesn’t really come across as boneheaded driving anymore.
I think in most cases, aggressive driving is just a form of incompetence. Or inexperience. In a lot of cases, drivers only have to make the same mistake once or twice before they change things up and become more judicious in choosing when to take big risks and send it.