Flavio Briatore gushes on Max Verstappen, claims his ‘crazy speed’ caused a real ‘Verstappen-Day’ at Suzuka 

Formula 1’s black sheep Flavio Briatore comments on Max Verstappen’s dominance in the Japanese GP.

Flavio Briatore gushes on Max Verstappen, claims his ‘crazy speed’ caused a real ‘Verstappen-Day’ at Suzuka 

Flavio Briatore and Max Verstappen (via imago)

Flavio Briatore, the man Formula 1 banned for life, recently commended Max Verstappen’s brilliance in a media interaction. The former Renault chief was involved in Nelson Piquet Jr’s deigned crash that caused Fernando Alonso to win a race that was crucial for Felipe Massa to win. Briatore called the previous Sunday’s race at Suzuka a ‘Verstappen-Day in Japan’, as it celebrated Max Verstappen‘s superior driving skills.

“What Verstappen did is truly incredible, he had a lot of speed, especially in the first part of the circuit. He was getting 6G, like a jet fighter turning. So honor the Dutch Red Bull driver who won the constructors’ world title with six GPs to spare before the end of the championship and in a few days I imagine, a grand prix or two at most, we will also have the winner of the drivers’ world championship. Max deserves it all, it was a real Verstappen-Day in Japan, and everyone else must bow to the performances of this extraordinary driver.” , said Briatore [as reported by ilriformista]

YouTube video

The Businessman has been hailed as ‘The Playboy of Formula 1’. Previously the man had termed the new-age F1 ‘an accountant’s sport, It’s nice to see him take a liking to the new king of this sport. Briatore was accused of being the perpetrator behind the famous 2008 ‘Crashgrate’ controversy.

FS Video

Do not miss: Former F1 racer claims Liam Lawson should have taken Yuki Tsunoda’s place at AlphaTauri

Crashgate – one of the darkest scandals in our sport

The Singapore GP was the 15th round of the season in 2008 where Massa and Hamilton were going head to head for the World Championship. Fernando Alonso had qualified only P15 while his teammate Nelson Piquet Junior was P16. In Lap 12, Alonso came in to refuel and came out bottom of the field. Shortly after in Lap 14, Piquet Jr. crashed into the wall after being told to do so by team leadership and caused a safety car.

Fernando Alonso (via Imago)
Fernando Alonso (via Imago)

The resulting Safety Car period shuffled the driver positions to the advantage of Fernando Alonso, who went on to win, while Felipe Massa endured a disastrous pit stop when he drove away with the fuel hose still attached. Alonso, the eventual winner said, “This is a historic race” after his victory.

It has recently become clear that high-ranked FIA and Formula One members were aware of Piquet Jr.’s crash being intentional in 2008. They had enough time to investigate before the awards ceremony. Had the race results been thrown out (if the rest of the season played out as it did), Massa would have taken the crown which he lost to Hamilton. The scandal stands as one of the most famous misdoings in the sport, forever impacting Formula 1 history.

In case you missed it: