Though Peter Windsor referred to three-time world champion Max Verstappen as “slow” in one particular segment of the Miami Grand Prix, Verstappen is rarely regarded as such.
Max Verstappen finished a race this season and, for the first time, did not head straight to the top step of the podium.
Peter Windsor gave a detailed explanation of the Dutch Red Bull driver’s problems during the Miami Grand Prix on his YouTube channel.
Where in Miami Max Verstappen was “unbelievably slow,” according to Peter Windsor
Over the course of the weekend, there were indications that Max Verstappen wasn’t quite content with the configuration of his vehicle in Miami.
During Sprint Race weekends, teams had one practice session to get their vehicles ready.
Despite starting the race in pole position on Saturday, Verstappen wasn’t entirely satisfied with the car, even though Red Bull is typically experts in their field.
He started alongside Charles Leclerc, who demonstrated why he is such a strong qualifier despite doing almost no running in practice due to an error.
Despite never appearing totally at ease, Verstappen went on to win the Sprint Race and secure pole position for the main Grand Prix.
On Sunday, Lando Norris made the most of it by winning his maiden Formula 1 race and separating himself from Verstappen following the safety car.
With decades of experience in the sport, Peter Windsor clarified Verstappen’s “unbelievably slow” performance in Miami and the reason he lost to the Brit in the race.
In order to prevent a recurrence at the upcoming race in Imola, Red Bull will need to evaluate and treat the problem as soon as possible.
A rare setback for Max Verstappen during his reign of F1 domination
“I was going on and on and on about how good Max [Verstappen] was through those Esses in Sector 1 and he still looked pretty good then in the race, I thought,” Windsor remarked, evaluating the 26-year-old finish.
The following left-hander, the lengthy one where you brake into it with an increasing radius, and the long straight after that were Max’s most unbelievable slow spots.
“I don’t know if there was floor damage, but because he was going through that left-hander—turn seven, I believe—so slowly, he got on the radio and said, ‘I can’t do anything with the front end.'” For this reason, he was incredibly sluggish in a straight line.
Throughout the straight today, he regularly lagged behind Sergio Perez by seven or eight kilometres per hour.
Additionally, Lando [Norris] occasionally pulled out in Sector 1 by himself for a half-second.
“Max was really good everywhere else—the high-speed braking, the direction changes, the normal areas—but he was just hopeless through that long left-hander—I can’t believe I’m saying that.”
In 2024, Lando Norris may become Max Verstappen’s newest adversary.
Max Verstappen’s car damage could be the reason for his slowness into turn seven in Miami and the discrepancy in speed between his vehicle and Sergio Perez’s.
After striking the bollard at turn 14, Verstappen first claimed there was “no damage” to his car, but Christian Horner made a different suggestion.
“He hit the bollard around Lap 20, and that’s actually done quite a bit of damage to the underside of the car, so we’ll have to look at exactly what the effect of that has been,” he stated in remarks made after the race via the Formula 1 website.
Verstappen’s race may have been affected by that, but McLaren seems to have advanced significantly with their most recent update.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz are presently tied on points.
If their most recent update is anything like the one they manufactured in Austria the previous year, Ferrari and Red Bull will soon have some very competitive rivals at the front of the field.