Max Verstappen in Hungary - Red Bull Contentpool

Verstappen increased pressure on Mercedes in 2021: "That move by Max was planned"

10:48, 22 Aug

byCas van de Kleut

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton battled each other for the world title in 2021. At times, tensions could run high. The former trainer and physiotherapist of Verstappen, Bradley Scanes, has spoken about the psychological games played by the Dutchman.

After the qualification for the Grand Prix of Brazil 2021, Verstappen touched the rear wing of Hamilton's Mercedes. It resulted in a fine for the Dutchman. Subsequently, the rear wing turned out to be illegal, leading to the seven-time world champion being disqualified and having to start at the back during the sprint race on Saturday, which also determined the starting positions for Sunday. The Brit won the race on Sunday after a comeback.

Scanes on mental games Verstappen in 2021

Scanes discussed the incident after the qualification in the High Performance podcast: “Max went behind the Mercedes rear wing and was giving it a good feel. That was measured. He knew he was going to get 50.000 euros fine and no impact on track.”

“Within the team, it was discussed.” continued Scanes. Asked if it was simply a way to increase the tension within the Mercedes garage, the former trainer and physiotherapist of Verstappen responded: “Yeah. Even if nothing happens, that would have just put, you know, shifted the focus, put a little bit of pressure in the media on them."

Max Verstappen in Hungary - Red Bull Contentpool

Scanes also told another story about 2021. The Brit claimed that Red Bull did not have the Jeddah circuit in the simulator. For that reason, Verstappen would have ultimately searched for someone on the internet to build the circuit virtually. In the end, he is said to have succeeded. In the first free training of the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia that year, the Dutchman immediately set many fast times. That weekend, he finished second, behind Hamilton.