“Perez spun to protect Max,” Netizens critical of Max Verstappen’s suspicious POLE on home turf

“Perez spun to protect Max,” Netizens critical of Max Verstappen’s suspicious POLE on home turf

Max Verstappen

It’s happened again: Max Verstappen has been fastest in qualifying for the second race in a row, and it also happens to be his second Dutch GP pole position in a row. Last race, it had been a blowout for the Dutchman, and he was faster than second-placed Carlos Sainz (who eventually started in pole position) by almost 6 tenths.

This time around, however, it was a different story. Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were within a tenth of each other, and it was Verstappen who came out on top in the fight, beating out Leclerc by 0.021 seconds, and Sainz by 0.092 seconds. This was courtesy of a fantastic middle sector for the Dutchman. (Full results for qualifying .)

https://twitter.com/0Linalan96/status/1566069388448567299?s=20&t=GC9QjD7p0d0OP8qMt7CdPg

It was a similar case last year at the Dutch Grand Prix as Max Verstappen took the pole position by 0.038 seconds, and went on to win the race in a rather comfortable fashion. Then as now, Sergio Perez had a suboptimal qualifying session. Last year, he had not made Q2, eventually taking penalties and starting from the pitlane. This time, he oversteered and spun in the last corner, which probably stopped the Mercedes duo from going a bit faster. The timing was rather convenient, and it prompted some suspicion from fans.

FS Video

Also Read: “Max will be Max,” David Coulthard banks on Max Verstappen to pull a rabbit out of the hat on race day after a slow start

Sergio Perez spins on the last corner

Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez would eventually finish the qualifying session fifth, but that spin on his last lap would definitely put a dent in his emotions for the day. Of course, the timing of the crash meant fans were not happy, and the drivers would certainly not be happy with it either. Some fans even imply (perhaps jokingly) that Perez crashed to potentially protect Max Verstappen’s pole position.

https://twitter.com/mixedphinandhab/status/1566065744030359552?s=20&t=rLvXd_tA2XoqEQHxXeDVGw

Mercedes fans were especially upset, as the Mercedes duo had apparently been improving on their last runs, even if it may not have been enough for pole position.

One person even compared it to the infamous Crashgate scandal, involving Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr., when the Brazilian driver had been apparently asked to crash tactically by Renault, while Alonso was on an alternate strategy, which gave him full advantage when the safety car came out.

Last year, overtaking had not been particularly easy for the drivers. While the characteristics of the track haven’t changed and overtaking still shouldn’t be a breeze, there is expected to be at least some improvement. As they have many times before this season, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen will share the front row, and an exciting race may be in store.

Also Read: “Sir Max or Lord Max,” Christian Horner jokingly congratulates Max Verstappen on his national honour

Also Read: “We started the year with a fat car,” Max Verstappen reveals reduction in weight of RB18 as ‘prominent’ reason behind upsurge in performance