F1 Insider Makes Bold Max Verstappen Claim After Lost Dutch GP Win

Saajan Jogia | Aug 26, 2024

Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 27, 2024 in Spa, Belgium. / Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

Former F1 driver and Sky Sports F1 TV presenter Martin Brundle has made a startling revelation, which might have opened Pandora's box for Red Bull. Brundle noted that Max Verstappen's race pace was "not as fast" as he could go, hinting that the Dutchman slowed his RB20 down on purpose to allow Lando Norris to create a 23-second lead at the finish line.

Norris didn't get off to a great start despite securing pole position, causing Verstappen to take the lead and stay at the front until lap 18 when the McLaren driver executed a clean overtake on Red Bull's title contender.

What followed next was Norris pulling away by a considerable margin on every lap, eventually leading to a 20+ second gap in the end to the three-time world champion.

Red Bull's performance slump stemmed from a mid-season upgrade that disrupted the car's balance, making it difficult to regain the optimal combination of pace and handling seen earlier in the season. This was when Verstappen and Sergio Perez secured three 1-2 finishes in the first five races. Verstappen, in particular, hasn't won in the last five races—a dry spell reminiscent of his 2020 season.

What remains at stake though, is Red Bull's lead in the Constructors' Championship over McLaren, with the gap now down to just 30 points, compared to the 42-point gap before the Dutch GP race weekend. Verstappen, however, leads Norris by a safer margin of 70 points in the Drivers' Standings, though attainable by the McLaren driver under certain circumstances, considering that nine races remain before the season ends.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated after the race that the team had learned a lot during the weekend at Zandvoort, with Brundle assuming he knew what Horner was talking about. Brundle told Sky F1, as reported by GPBlog.com:

“I’m going to guess about car setup and strategies and all the normal things about going racing."

Continuing about his feeling that Verstappen slowed down a bit on purpose, he added:

“I would hazard a guess that was not as fast as Max could go. He knew he couldn’t beat Lando and dropping back a bit like that, it's going to give the factory a hurry up, isn’t it? I’d be pretty sure of that.”

While his perspective could seem like a conspiracy theory to many, there is most likely a Red Bull wake-up call angle that Brundle was referring to. Verstappen knew he wasn't going to win the Dutch GP, but he could have lost the race by a shorter margin.