“Throwing oil on the fire”: Damon Hill caused controversy in the Formula 1 community when he criticized the actions of Max Verstappen and unexpected Lando Norris. This led to a fierce argument between fans from both sides.
The world of Formula 1 rarely stands still, but the recent statements of former world champion Damon Hill have only really flared up the minds. During the aftermath of the Singapore Grand Prix, on October 6, 2025, Hill shared a striking compliment to McLaren driver Lando Norris via his X-account (formerly Twitter). After the opening round, in which Norris performed an aggressive catch -up maneuver on Max Verstappen, Hill tweeted: “On Lando: Feisty. Like it!.”. The word ‘Feisty’ – spicy, brutal – sounded like a hymn to the British driver, who with his daring action pushed the Dutchman off the track for a moment. But for many fans of Verstappen this was the drop. Hill, who has repeatedly criticized the driving style of the four -time champion in the past, now seemed to handle a double standard. Actions that were identical or even milder at Verstappen were previously dismissed by Hill as ‘dangerous’ or ‘intimidating’. The reaction was predictable: a storm of anger among Verstappen supporters, who accused Hill of bias.
To understand the controversy, we have to go back in time. Damon Hill, the 1996 champion with Williams, has a long history of commentary on Verstappen. Already in 2024, during the bright duels between Verstappen and Norris in Mexico, Hill compared the Red Bull driver with Dick Dastardly, the villain from the Animation series Wacky Races. “He uses fear and intimidation,” Hill said in a Sky Sports podcast at the time, referring to how Verstappen pressed Norris off the track and collected a ten-second penalty twice. Verstappen responded sharply: “I have no respect for people who are biased and just want to stir.” That exchange of words escalated into a broader debate about Fair Play in F1, with fans who accused Hill of Anti-Dutch sentiments. Even in 2025 the criticism continued. After the Miami GP in May, Hill Norris warned: “Don’t be too nice to max. You have to be cynical, because he doesn’t give you anything.” Hill then praised Oscar Piastri’s ‘effective’ approach against Verstappen, while Norris lost time in a wheel-to-wheel fight.
The tweet over Singapore fell in fertile soil. Norris’ maneuver-a late braking action in bend 1 that forced Verstappen-was praised by Hill as’ Feisty ‘, but many Verstappen fans saw a carbon copy in Van Verstappen’s own actions, such as in Austria 2024 or Mexico. “If it is Lando, it is Feisty? If it was Max, you would demand a racingban,” tweeted a fan with the handle @mar9uezz, a sentiment that harvested thousands of likes and retweets. On Reddit and X, the discussion exploded: Threads with titles such as “Hill’s Hypocrisy Exposed” filled with Memes van Hill as a referee with a British flag. Verstappen fans, often from the Netherlands and the Benelux, even organized a hashtag #hillout, referring to his departure at Sky Sports at the end of 2024-that some attribute to his fierce anti-wiring attitude. “Hill is a sour loser who is still waking up from Schumacher,” joked a user, alluding on Hills Rivalry with Michael Schumacher in the 90s.
On the other side of the spectrum, Norris and McLaren fans welcomed the praise. For them it was a rare moment of recognition for Lando’s growth as a driver. In the 2025 season, which is full of rivalry between McLaren’s Norris and Piastri versus Verstappen’s Red Bull, Norris emerged as a formidable challenger. With three victories so far, including a dominant victory in Monaco, he shows the aggression that Hill missed before. “Finally someone who sees that Lando is no longer the ‘nice guy’ who always admits,” a McLaren fan reacted to X. Hill himself seems to make his point: in an interview with GP33.nl after Singapore, he emphasized that Norris’ Action “is exactly the mentality you need to defeat Verstappen”. He checked this with Verstappens ‘fist rice style’, a term he recently repeated in a podcast. “I am not anti-max, but he drives his fists, not with his head like Niki Lauda did.”
The controversy touches deeper themes in the F1 community. Is Hill Biased, as Verstappen suggests, or is he a voice of reason in a sport that tolerates too much sacrilege? The fans division reflects the wider gap: Verstappen’s army of loyal supporters, which celebrates its unconventional style as essential for his success (four titles in a row, more than 60 victories), versus the critics who argue for cleaner racing. In Singapore, Norris finished second behind Piastri, with Verstappen on stage place three – a result that keeps the title fight open, with Piastri in the lead for Norris and Verstappen. Hill’s words have not only set social media on fire, but also colored the run -up to the next race in Austin. Will Norris hold his ‘Feisty’ side? Or does Verstappen dive deeper into the controversy, as he did in Brazil 2024 with an epic catch -up race from P17?
As far as Hill is concerned, he remains inexorable. In a recent post on X he hinted: “Racing is about Passion, but not at the expense of Fair Play.” The F1 family is torn apart, and Hill has thrown oil on the fire with one tweet. While the Engines roar and rise the rivalries, one thing is clear: an opinion is never neutral in the royal class of motorsport. The fans are discussing, the drivers racing, and the controversy? It is not nearly over yet.
