Tyson Fury tells F1 fans to give ‘bad boy’ Max Verstappen a break
The ‘Gypsy King’ is a fan of the Red Bull driver and compared his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton to the classic battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tyson Fury has leaped to Max Verstappen’s defence after the Red Bull driver came under criticism following his collision with Lewis Hamilton at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Verstappen was hit with two time penalties in a chaotic race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in which Hamilton accused his title rival of driving “over the limit”.
Hamilton’s third victory in a row has moved him level on points with Verstappen ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.
Verstappen risks earning a reputation as an “unfair driver”, according to F1 pundit Martin Brundle, following the latest controversy between the title protagonists.
World boxing champion Fury, who backed Verstappen to win his first F1 title earlier this season, drew comparisons to his own career as he defended the 24-year-old Red Bull driver.
“I’ve just been reading up about the F1 rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and how Max is being made out to be a bit of a bad boy,” Fury said in a video on his Instagram story.
“It’s not nice, especially when you are young and ambitious and want to win. Give him a bit of a break - he’s only a young lad trying his best. Good luck to both men in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.”
Fury, who is friends with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, finished up his video message by comparing Verstappen and Hamilton’s rivalry to the 1976 battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Horner revealed he had received a text from Fury after Verstappen won the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this season.
“The two-time world heavyweight champion is a fan of Max and there has been a lot of excitement from other sports around the competitive championship fight we are in,” Horner said.
“Tyson is an incredibly passionate and focused guy and I think he respects the fact that Max drives in a similar way.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments