Newey backs Verstappen: 'He has been demonised by Sky'

The 2021 season entered the history books as one of the most exciting and thrilling ever in Formula 1. The epic battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton drastically increased the ratings. The Dutchman ultimately became the title winner after a last-lap showdown in Abu Dhabi. Adrian Newey, who has now left Red Bull, recently reflected on that intense battle.

In the High Performance podcast, Newey stated that Verstappen began to feel the pressure in the final races of that particular season: "He was probably lucky not to get a penalty from his driving in Brazil. Saudi, where they had a bit of a ding-dong, I think that was not clear. But Max was probably a bit out of order in Brazil in truth. I think he was feeling it a bit. Checo, it's the usual thing. If the teammate they've been beating suddenly starts to get closer, it's not that suddenly the teammate got better."

Newey slams Sky Sports F1

According to Newey, Perez got closer to Verstappen in late 2021 because the Dutchman started feeling the pressure. So in the end, Verstappen managed to become the champion that year because - Newey opined - Verstappen is a "very mature" man. "From the outside, I'm not sure people fully appreciate and understand Max, just like they didn't with Sebastian. Because, first of all, there's this sort of demonisation that both of them have suffered at times, which I think is very unfair."

"Maybe that's also a little bit of the British media, if I'm honest. Sky have a huge influence around the world. Their viewing is truly international. But their coverage is quite nationalistic, dare I say. That can have an influence. It's this thing that now with journalism, don't take this personally, but there is that trend to either put people on a pedestal or knock them down," Newey said.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton

Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!

X | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube