Amid $135,000,000 Hurdle, Max Verstappen’s Valuable Input to Adrian Newey Underappreciated, Claims Ex-Ferrari Boss

He is a two-time world champion, well on course to his third, most wins by a driver in a single season, most wins in a row, etc. What more must Max Verstappen do to gain the respect of his peers? Forget respect, the Red Bull man was insulted by his 2021 arch-rivals after breaking the 10-race wins in a row record in Monza. This ‘Wikipedia’ insult from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff created a lot of chatter around the paddock and among the fans. However, despite the Austrian’s attempts to belittle Verstappen’s dominance and impact on the team, an ex-Ferrari boss has come to the Dutchman’s aid.

No discussion is complete without a little input from ex-manager & now journalist Peter Windsor. In his post-Italian GP YouTube video, the Brit revealed he did not pay heed to the comments made about Verstappen’s achievement. However, he wanted to highlight the Dutchman’s impact and input to his team, especially the mastermind Adrian Newey despite the $135 million budget cap obstruction.

Windsor said, “He is the guy that is giving the input to Adrian (Newey) that is enabling Adrian to do the perfect job on setup. But it’s Max and his priorities of what is a problem and what he can live with that is the absolute guiding force. That’s why I say, I don’t think anybody at the moment is really giving Max the credit he deserves for the job he’s doing because there are so many variables in Formula 1. There are so many variables now brought in by things like the budget cap, the CFD limitation, and then all the other regulations around what you can do with the downforce of the car.”

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However, one can assume even if Windsor did have anything to say about the situation, it wouldn’t have been positive. In fact, Wolff has gathered a lot of criticism after his comments, except from one person.

Despite the insult to Max Verstappen, one expert sees the comment from Toto Wolff as a smart move

These scathing remarks are not new. During the 2021 season, there was constant back and forth between Mercedes and Red Bull. This constant feature of the 2021 season was dialed down in 2022. Perhaps longing for that sense of rivalry, Wolff kicked things off again with his ‘Wikipedia’ comment. Whilst many condemned his remark, the host of the ESPN Unlapped podcast saw it as a cunning move from the Austrian boss.

He said, “At the same time, a part of me thinks Toto think all the headlines are gonna be about Max, let’s just flip it around a bit, and make it about Toto Wolff, which is pretty smart. Now, everyone is talking about not Red Bull and Max. They’re talking about what Toto Wolff said. It’s just Toto’s world and we are living in it. It’ll be the quote of the year. Because if Max keeps winning, at the end of the year, on Wikipedia, it’ll be 18.”

Do you agree if that was the intention behind the comment or the Mercedes boss was just being nasty? Regardless, even if it was little, it did shift the focus from Verstappen’s mega achievement to these comments.

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