Martin Brundle had suspected it during the Grand Prix, but Max Verstappen confirmed that he had deliberately slowed down his pace at Zandvoort. Although he does not admit to doing it throughout the race, the Dutchman admitted to losing hope in the final laps, a realization that led him to ease off the throttle while trying to hold on to his second place until the end.
A theory shared in the media
The Dutch Grand Prix was particularly surprising last weekend. While Max Verstappen was expected to win his home race, McLaren driver Lando Norris secured victory. Although it could have been decided by a few hundredths, the Briton finished the race with a lead of over twenty seconds. With this lead, Lando Norris set a new time record for this season.
After the race, sports commentator Martin Brundle suggested that Max Verstappen may not have been driving to the full potential of the car. Given that he has been struggling with the Red Bull recently, this may have been a warning to the driver about the car’s performance. With the threat growing day by day, Martin Brundle is almost certain that Max Verstappen was not driving as fast as he could have.
Despite his second place at the end of the weekend, Max Verstappen admitted in the post-race press conference that the Grand Prix was difficult due to balance problems with his car and tyre wear. His single-seater’s on-board camera sparked debate after the car was seen not responding when the Dutch driver tried to turn the steering wheel. Although he has not been able to match his level of last year in this new season, he is still in first place in the drivers’ championship.
The race was already over
Martin Brundle’s theory went through the media and the paddock until it finally reached the head of the race. When asked by DAZN Spain, the driver admitted that he did indeed slow down, but only in the final laps of the race. “The gap to the back was also fluctuating the whole time, so I knew it was completely over with five laps to go, so I took my foot off the gas just to get the car to the finish,” he confirmed.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen are used to better results. While the Dutchman has been dominant in recent seasons, he has not won a single Grand Prix since Spain. Even though his result may not be what he expected, he still remains at the top of the field. In the same interview, the Red Bull driver admits that he slowed down because he knew he could not get a better result. If he had tried to catch Lando Norris, he could have lost his second place. There was nothing left to win. We had to consolidate that second place. It could have been much worse, he concluded on DAZN Spain.
As the Formula 1 season enters its final phase, Red Bull is struggling with new car issues. Max Verstappen, who holds first place in the championship, is starting to lose hope in his car, which he has been heavily criticised this weekend. If they want to prevent McLaren from regaining the lead in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, they will need to find a way to bring the previous car’s performance back to the RB20.
