Could Verstappen have won the at the Madring without this intervention?

What if? After a Grand Prix that offered hardly any other highlights, a move on the very first lap of the race at the new Madring proved decisive in determining whether or not Max Verstappen could secure top spot.

The Dutchman, at the request of the Red Bull pit wall, had to give a place back to Lewis Hamilton, whom he had just passed - off track limits. Verstappen protested loudly, arguing he had taken evasive action to avoid a collision with the Ferrari driver.

In the end, Verstappen decided to do as instructed on Lap 4. An added drawback was that Hamilton had already dropped behind Kimi Antonelli, so Verstappen actually had to let two drivers past. In hindsight, that also meant the eventual winner of the Madrid race on a track where overtaking was virtually impossible.

So, what if? Would Verstappen have won the race if he hadn’t let Antonelli through? Of course, at that exact moment McLaren were yet to make the wrong call under the Virtual Safety Car by not pitting then-leader Lando Norris. That incident put Antonelli in the lead, with the Italian's win now never in doubt because - as mentioned - overtaking in Madrid was nearly impossible.

That very fact likely means Verstappen would have won the Grand Prix if he hadn’t had to let Antonelli by. Out front he would have had clean air and could have, if needed, planted his car in the middle of the track to fend off any overtaking attempts.

At the end of a long day on a hot circuit in Madrid: was it right that Verstappen was politely asked by Red Bull to give his position back and, in hindsight, to forgo the win? GPblog asked Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, immediately after the race. The British-Italian said: “It was pretty clear to us that we needed to make the swap.”

There’s no need to doubt that the strategists of the Austrian team made the right choice. Had there been even a hint of doubt, the position wouldn’t have been handed to Antonelli and Hamilton. But for Verstappen it was a pity, because yes, that victory really could have been his.