Max Verstappen‘s most frustrating F1 moment came after chaotic Saudi Arabian GP, says former trainer
One of Max Verstappen’s lowest points in Formula 1 happened away from the cameras, following the drama-filled 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
His former trainer Bradley Scanes revealed the behind-the-scenes tension in a recent High Performance podcast.
The incident occurred when Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were locked in their fierce championship battle, dead even on points heading into the final race.
Just three races earlier, Verstappen had been comfortably ahead with a 19-point cushion over the seven-time world champion.
“There was three incidents between Max and Lewis, coming together, and we’d gone into the cool down room after that race,” Scanes explained.
What happened next shocked everyone present.
“I remember Angela [Cullen], who was Lewis’s performance coach – me and her are very good friends now – but I remember her not shouting, but forcefully saying something towards me and Max, like, ‘are you going to get someone killed out there or something like that?'”
The confrontation left everyone uncomfortable.
“Then them two just went off into a different room, got changed, and we were just kind of left. I can’t remember who was P3, but they were just sitting there thinking, what is going on here?”
Though Verstappen ultimately won the world title in Abu Dhabi, Scanes had to work hard to reset the driver’s mindset after the Saudi incident.
They made the tough decision to stay in the Middle East between races rather than returning home – something Verstappen initially resisted.
“Initially Max didn’t want to do that. He wanted to get home, spend time with friends and family preparing that way, because that is the way he really kind of unloads,” Scanes said.
“But in terms of performance, it was like, ‘No we’re not, we’re not going to fly six hours through the night, then to fly back.'”
“So it took a little bit of persuading on that, but we needed to just recenter, and get ourselves ready for what’s to be the final race of the season.”
The strategy apparently worked, as Verstappen clinched his first world championship in controversial fashion at the season finale.
