'There's no way Max would do that', F1 analyst bluntly claims

21:26, 23 Jul

Updated: 21:31, 23 Jul

byKimberley Hoefnagel

Max Verstappen is officially under contract with Red Bull for several more years, but he could leave sooner if the team fails to deliver on performance. Could he really be trying to trigger that clause on purpose?

During a livestream on his YouTube channel, Windsor was asked whether he had seen any signs that Max Verstappen was deliberately underperforming to trigger the release clause in his contract. The Australian replied, “No, I have not.”

''I think Max is thinking that the car's so bad now, I don't need to do anything intentional anyway. I just drive the weekend and there’s just bound to be some mess that'll cause a problem. And I think he's right. It'll started in Spain, didn't it?''

According to Windsor, it's not in Verstappen's DNA to slow down in a corner in an attempt to maintain balance, let alone for other reasons: ''I don't think it's in his DNA to do anything other than drive as fast as he can possibly drive that car, given all the variables of which he has to work.''

Is Verstappen deliberately trying to trigger the exit clause?

'There's no way Max would do that'

That is nothing more than logical, he emphasized: ''He’s just a racing driver. We all know that if you try to drive or play at any sport, not to win, it's a big problem, is it?''

''But the minute you start thinking about: maybe take it easy here. Everything goes wrong - your timing goes, your rhythm goes.. It's all out the window. There's no way Max would do that.''

''The only guy I've ever spoken to that actually said he was trying to go slower than he was able to go, oddly was Juan Pablo Montoya,'' Windsor recalled.

''I remember it was in Hungary, and he knew that the Williams wasn't going to be quick enough to be on pole, so he was trying to qualify third rather than second in order to be on the clean side of the road. It didn't work from memory, but at least he admitted it.''