F1 News
Windsor sees Verstappen struggling: 'This shows how good Newey is'
Peter Windsor suggests Max Verstappen's current dip in results is partly due to Adrian Newey's departure and the work the designer carried out during race weekends. The Formula 1 analyst highlights how the three-time World Champion is currently having a "bad run". He failed to work his way through the field after starting from sixth on the grid and even had his title rival, Lando Norris, finish ahead of him.
Verstappen hasn't won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in June. In fact, in the seven races following Barcelona, the Dutchman only finished twice on the podium. Verstappen didn't return to the podium in Baku and was overtaken on track by George Russell (Mercedes) and Lando Norris (McLaren). Norris himself started from P15 after a poor qualifying session.
In the process, Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez proved to find a better setup with the Red Bull car that had a new floor. He qualified ahead of the three-time world champion and looked likely for a podium finish or perhaps even a last-lap fight for the race win until he crashed with Carlos Sainz.
Windsor points to Newey
"It is so odd that Max is having such a really bad run at the moment," Windsor reveals on his YouTube channel. "He is so uncompetitive with his major rivals," added Windsor, who believes the Dutchman's lack of momentum is largely down to Adrian Newey. The man leaving for Aston Martin next season is said to be largely influential on Verstappen's success, according to Windsor.
"If you take the 30,000ft view, you could say: 'Wow! Ever since the Newey departure news, Red Bull seemed to have collapsed'. Well, it's easy to say that. I've just said it but yes, I think it does underline how good Newey was in his Red Bull days at the race track in terms of setup. Possibly knowing how Max wants the car setup as well. He is very good at that. He is also a really good race engineer and that appears to be what Red Bull are lacking at the moment," Windsor concluded.
This article has been created in collaboration with Jeroen Immink
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