Günther Steiner also observed the unfortunate end to the Spanish Grand Prix for Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver was on track for third place until a collision with George Russell dashed those hopes. However, according to the former team boss of Haas, Verstappen’s bad luck started even before that: ‘He was so upset about the tires Red Bull gave him.’
Third place was in sight for Max Verstappen at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, until a late safety car threw a spanner in the works. The race had to be restarted after Andrea Kimi Antonelli dropped out, and the Dutch driver was the only one on hard tires. Charles Leclerc quickly overtook him, and George Russell also tried to pass Verstappen immediately after the restart. The latter did not go without a fight, and the two drivers collided. Verstappen then went wide and re-entered the track ahead of Russell.
At that point, confusion arose within Red Bull, and the team advised Verstappen to give the place back to Russell. Much to the Dutch driver’s displeasure, this led to a second collision with the Brit. Former Haas team boss Günther Steiner also witnessed it all. “Panic might not be the right word, but I think he lost his mind there for a moment,” the Italian analyzes the moment in the Red Flags podcast. “He’s not used to that.”
Tires
According to Steiner, the problems started even before Max Verstappen and Russell encountered each other. “Max was so upset about the tires they gave him. I think that was the cause. When he hit the gas and went sideways at the restart, there aren’t many drivers who could handle a car like that,” Steiner continues his analysis. “That was pretty brutal. He did manage to control the car then, but in his mind, he clearly thought: ‘I’m done. I’m the fall guy.’ And at that moment, he couldn’t pull it together anymore. It was strange, because he’s a bit temperamental, but not that much.”
Verstappen finished the race in tenth place, partly due to a time penalty for the incident with Russell. “I think Max was so disappointed because he had been driving a good race up until the safety car. The three stops by Red Bull worked very well,” adds Steiner. “I think they put a lot of pressure on McLaren. But Max did everything at the end that he normally shouldn’t do.”
