Damon Hill received a scolding this week from Max Verstappen’s mother-in-law. The former English champion – already a well-known critic of the Dutchman – had reprimanded Verstappen again. Hill strongly disapproved of the Red Bull driver’s persistent complaints about the new F1 regulations. “You can’t always get your way,” he reacted. Sylvia Tamsma, the mother of Verstappen’s girlfriend Kelly Piquet, then stepped into the breach for her son-in-law.
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During the race weekend in Japan, Verstappen once again expressed his dissatisfaction with the current F1 regulations. Afterwards, he also stated that he is seriously considering hanging up his racing suit if the sport does not make adjustments. In a podcast for the BBC, Damon Hill responded: “You might think he’s using these statements to apply pressure and force regulatory changes, but I actually think that’s pointless; then people will just start shouting: ‘Stop it and take some time to think about it.’”
“You simply don’t always get your way,” Hill concluded. “Max doesn’t have to do this, of course,” he added. “He’s already made heaps of money, is a young father and has been in the sport for a while. Perhaps the fun is just gone and he needs a break.”
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Mother-in-law responds
Hill’s statements also reached Tamsma. The Dutchwoman responded via social media to footage of the podcast broadcast and made it clear that the Englishman should not only focus on her son-in-law. “Oh Damon, I think people need a break from your opinion,” she joked sharply. “Apparently you are too old to understand that not only Max, but all drivers complain. It’s quite mean to pick on Max, don’t you think?”
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