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Max Verstappen defending to be discussed in F1 drivers' briefing

Max Verstappen's defensive driving will be raised in the Formula 1 drivers' briefing ahead of this weekend's German Grand Prix following his battle with Kimi Raikkonen in Hungary

The teenager drew criticism from 2007 world champion Raikkonen for the way he defended his position when they were fighting over fifth place late in the Hungarian GP.

Raikkonen believed Verstappen's driving "wasn't correct" as he felt the Red Bull driver was changing direction too many times on the approach to corners.

Force India driver Sergio Perez was also unhappy with Verstappen's defence of his position against Raikkonen, and the Mexican plans to raise the matter for discussion at Hockenheim on Friday.

"That was too much moving under braking," said Perez. "It's something we need to clarify.

"We sometimes see drivers over-defending positions and it can be quite dangerous if you're moving under braking just in the last moment."

When asked by Autosport about raising it in the drivers' briefing, Perez said: "Yes, we should talk about it, to clarify it.

"It's a bit inconsistent sometimes, as we know, but in the past we had a bit more freedom in the rules to fight harder.

"But moving on the brakes in the last moment was not correct."

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas believes there is little to discuss, as Verstappen escaped punishment for his driving last weekend.

"Every driver is different and he is more on the aggressive side," said the Finn.

"But there was no penalty in Budapest, I've only seen that one situation, and if it is decided that is OK then there is no problem.

"It was not properly two [changes of direction to defend position] - small movements.

"If you can get away with it then that's OK.

"With the penalty points system we have, if you are too aggressive you are definitely going to get a penalty.

"He is OK for now, I don't see a problem with that.

Bottas's team-mate Felipe Massa described Verstappen's driving as "a little bit on the limit", but he believes it is much better than it was during his rookie campaign in 2015 when he occasionally received criticism from more experienced drivers.

"He tries everything he can - he's a really aggressive driver," said Massa, who called Verstappen "dangerous" after his collision with Romain Grosjean in last year's Monaco GP.

"He's improved a lot compared to when he started.

"You need to understand what to do when you're fighting with him.

"You just need to follow the rules and do things you can do, even if sometimes they are a little bit aggressive."

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