It was arguably Verstappen’s most impressive season, given Red Bull’s struggles in the second half of the year.
Verstappen won seven of the opening 10 races, before claiming victory in just two of the final 14.
Due to his points lead over Norris, Verstappen was able to go on the aggressive in their wheel-to-wheel battles.
The Red Bull driver was hit with two 10-second time penalties for aggressive driving in Mexico.
Croft was speaking at the Autosport International event in Birmingham and engaged in a discussion with a fan.
Of Verstappen, the fan said: “He’s over-aggressive on track and he’s a petulant individual when it comes to other drivers.”
Croft replied: “You are entitled to your view, sir, and I’m not going to disagree with you.
“He’s over-aggressive on track, and he’s petulant to the other drivers… which probably makes him a winner and a champion. Now, do we like champions? Do we like winners? We all have our favourites. I get that entirely.
“But the thing about Max is that he does what he does to win and to be a champion, and Red Bull is paying him to win and be a champion, so he’s doing what’s expected of him. I have no problem with that whatsoever. I like Max. I’ve always liked Max.
“I’ve liked him since he first drove in Japan FP1 [in 2014] because he’s got so much talent, and I appreciate the talents.”
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