Windsor sees Austrian GP 'deflate' after Max Verstappen's untimely lap-one smash

08:44, 30 Jun

Updated: 08:46, 30 Jun

bySandy van Wijngaarden

Max Verstappen didn’t make it past Turn 3 in the opening lap of the Austrian Grand Prix, following a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Like many of the Dutchman’s fans, F1 analyst Peter Windsor expressed his disappointment. According to Windsor, a race without Verstappen simply isn’t the same.

The four-time world champion failed to finish a race for the first time since the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, where he retired with a brake issue. On that occasion, Carlos Sainz took victory for Ferrari from teammate Charles Leclerc.

The Formula 1 world looks very different since this race, emphasising Verstappen's ability to always stay in the running, even when things are going wrong.

On his own YouTube channel, Peter Windsor believed that Verstappen might not have finished in front of the Ferraris at a weekend where they were particularly strong.

According to the Australian, races feel noticeably quieter without the Dutchman on track. Verstappen’s absence, he noted, takes away much of the action and intrigue that usually defines a Grand Prix.

The 'balloon is deflated' when Verstappen isn't in the race

“But when Max is out of the race, and that doesn't happen very often, when Max is out of the race, it just feels like the whole balloon is deflated, because not necessarily if you're a Max fan or anything like that, I'm just talking about with Max Verstappen, something is always going to happen.

“We come across these athletes at various times in various sports in various eras, and Max is one of those guys. So as long as he is in the race, something is bound to be going on around him," Windsor concluded.

Max Verstappen just before his lap one exit at the Austrian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen’s Austrian Grand Prix came to a premature end after a misjudgment by Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian locked up under braking and collided with the Dutchman, forcing both drivers to retire from the race.

The incident appears to have dashed Verstappen’s hopes of a championship comeback, with both Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, advisor Helmut Marko, and international media acknowledging that the title may now be out of reach.