“Not Against Max…”: Max Verstappen’s Saudi Arabia Misery Revelled by Former F1 Driver for One Critical Reason

BORING! A word not many would associate with Formula 1 racing. However, it’s a word that is slowly creeping into the dictionaries of many F1 fans and entities. Why is that? Especially after the world of F1 witnessed one of the most exciting championship bouts in the sport’s history in 2021? Well, it’s because of Max Verstappen and Red Bull! The Dutchman in his RB18 was head and shoulders above the competition in 2022. As things stand, he is on the same trajectory in 2023 as well. This is exactly why a former F1 driver revelled in his misery in the Saudi Arabian GP qualifying.

The former racer turned commentator for Sky Sports F1, Martin Brundle was happy Verstappen suffered a driveshaft problem in qualifying. This meant Verstappen would start from P15, which was an exciting prospect for Brundle. Nothing personal. The British commentator was happy to see some action during the race, as quoted by Motorsport.

“Honestly, when Max Verstappen suffered a driveshaft problem that meant he would start 15th in qualifying, I felt satisfied, relieved, and energized,” Brundle wrote for Sky Sports. “I’m not against Max and his incredible talent, but at least it would be something to look forward to on race day.” (Translated by Google)

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Many have labeled Verstappen’s championship boring because of his consistent and ruthless driving. This might soon become a general conception, as Brundle is already of the opinion. However, it wasn’t just Verstappen that brought excitement to the race, according to the Sky journalist.

Apart from Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc also brought some excitement to the Saudi Arabian GP

Apart from Verstappen, Leclerc’s troubles in Bahrain ensured he would bring some excitement to the Saudi Arabian GP as well. The Monegasque took a grid place penalty in the second race of the season and started the race from P12. Couple this with Verstappen’s P15 and there was plenty of overtaking action during the race. This is exactly what Brundle celebrated.

“There was bound to be some action in the race as Charles Leclerc also received a somewhat shocking grid penalty – with an electronic control unit change – in just the second lap of the 23-race season and started in 12th place,” said Brundle.

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However, this will be a short-lived celebration as Red Bull and Verstappen won’t make starting from the midfield a habit. It will mainly be pole positions and clean air for Verstappen before the chequered flag for most of the upcoming races.

However, it will be exciting to see if a team can challenge the Red Bull men.