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.”
