Adrian Newey recalls Max Verstappen’s ‘nasty concussion’ after horrible 2021 British GP crash
Adrian Newey revealed how Max Verstappen’s crash in Silverstone 2021 left the Dutchman winded with a nasty concussion.
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Max Verstappen and Adrian Newey, images via IMAGO
Max Verstappen has been dominating the F1 circus for quite a while. However, his maiden title victory did not come easily, and had to dethrone seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton from the crown. This often led to run-ins between the two, especially at the British GP in 2021. Subsequently, design genius Adrian Newey recalled how the Red Bull driver suffered a severe concussion after the Grand Prix.
The 2021 F1 season was one for the history books. A reigning seven-time champion aiming to win his eighth title while a charging young Dutchman was in contention to have his first taste of championship victory. This translated into a fierce battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, that saw their first big clash at the Silverstone circuit.
The pair started on the front row and were battling throughout the first sequence of corners. Then they finally made contact at Copse corner, which sent the Red Bull driver flying into the crash barrier with a hefty 51G impact.
Subsequently, Verstappen was heard grunting with pain on the radio. This shook up the Red Bull camp as Adrian Newey revealed and reminisced about how team personnel were worrying about Verstappen’s health.
I think Max’s one at Silverstone was the last one where we thought, ‘Is he okay? Is he badly hurt in there?’ And then when he did come on the radio because he was so badly winded, he was just grunting, and you don’t know what that means. He was very sore. He had a quite nasty concussion. He was very sore for a week after, but he was okay.
Adrian Newey said (via High Performance Podcast)
After the crash, Verstappen remained pretty sore and had some unexpected hurdles come along his way. However, he was able to win the championship on a controversial night in Abu Dhabi. It laid the foundation for his impressive four titles in the making. Moreover, he is now aiming to win his fifth title despite the Austrian giant no longer remaining the favorite.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are the reason racing rules are stringent
Though Verstappen and Hamilton’s rivalry is etched in F1’s history, their racing antics were not always appreciated by the stewards. The pair amassed penalties throughout the 2021 season and became the basis for race officials to form racing rules upon.
Ex-F1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi shedded light on this aspect. The Italian often takes up the role of stewarding and elaborated on the reason why racing rules have gotten stringent.
I believe that in 2021 you know, Hamilton and Verstappen raised up the level of competition, because it was an amazing season, maybe one of the most beautiful of the last 20 years. But obviously they brought it to a more dangerous level.
Vitantonio Liuzzi said (via Inside Line podcast)
Despite concerns over Verstappen’s racing ethics being raised during the 2024 season, the Dutchman has asserted he would not change. Thus, he would retain his aggressive mentality heading into the upcoming season making his rivals aware of the extent that he could go to name the world title for himself.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)