Max Verstappen isn't a "wild" driver despite his "silly" antics in the final races of last year, Red Bull chief Adrian Newey claims.
As the epic championship duel between the Dutchman and Lewis Hamilton reached its closing stages, the two drivers were involved in several on-track incidents as Verstappen tried to repel the faster Mercedes.
Before then, Max had also built a reputation as one of Formula 1's most aggressive racers, with his driving sometimes pushing the limits of what is allowed.
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But offering his view on the Red Bull driver, Newey sees moments like those towards the end of last year as exceptions to how Verstappen is usually.
"What’s great about Max is you always know what the car is capable of because he always gets in it and wrings its neck," the veteran F1 designer told The Race.
"His feedback is good, he’s very aware of what the tyres are doing and how to manage them. I think his reputation for being wild is unfair.
"Probably what he did in Brazil last year was a bit naughty. Saudi was silly. I think he got frustrated with Lewis not overtaking him but he still shouldn’t have brake-tested him.
"But Silverstone to me was a clear professional foul [by Hamilton] and people seem to have a short memory. They brand an individual and it takes time for that to go.
"He’s very easy to work with, very open. You ask him to do things and he will always try."
Of course, Verstappen would join Sebastian Vettel as Red Bull's second world champion, albeit still well off the four titles the German managed between 2010-13.
But comparing the two Newey explained: "Sebastian was very, very detailed in his post-session analysis, the debriefs would go on for quite some time.
"Seb would stay long into the evening, going through on-board videos, going through the data, talking to his engineer. That’s what worked for him, it’s not a criticism.
"Max is not as extreme, is more in the middle.
"Daniel [Ricciardo] and Max are quite similar in terms of feedback and approach to debriefs," he noted.
"They’re good because they concentrate on the things you need to know. They’re happy if you have any questions to sit and elaborate. Very easy to work with."
