Max Verstappen got a decent excuse [to hide his team’s order of staying in the second position behind Sergio Perez]: the Driveshaft,” said Eddie Jordan, a former F1 team boss who knows things better being an ex-principal.
During the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, once again, Max Verstappen proved the fact that nothing matters to him in front of his own points. Not even the team’s orders. Following a similar plot that took place in 2022, Brazilian GP Max refused to follow the team’s order not to speed the car more than 32 seconds to prevent the fast lap cover. He finished the fastest lap and secured the bonus points that were meant for his teammate Sergio Perez.
The two-time world champion finished the Jeddah Corniche Circuit second on the podium, which is not a big deal for the driver who holds the record for a season’s most wins. But when a driver ends up at P2, starting back from P15, it takes something legendary from him. This is what made Verstappen’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, P2, more valuable. RB19, despite being the strongest car on the grid, gave driveshaft issues to Max’ while completing the Q2 around Jeddah. Due to this, he had to start the weekend race from fifteen positions behind his teammate Sergio Perez, who started from the pole. Max successfully overtook each one of the drivers, but Checo was unbeatable.
Meanwhile, the driveshaft issue that allowed Checo to take the pole in Max’s absence in the qualifying was in the car once again, as the Dutchman claimed. While racing via radio, the two-time world champion complained about the same vibration coming in his RB19. Perhaps this was the made-up reason that Max concocted to justify his second position behind his team-mate, Sergio Perez.
Max Verstappen Tried To Make His Image Good, By Concocting A Driveshaft Issue At Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Perez led Red Bull first on the track from the start in the last race. He deserved to get the bonus point too. But Max’s car, which could not prevent doing the fastest lap, took it in his pocket. Despite that, Checo secured the Saudi Arabia GP’s title, and Verstappen had to suffice with the second position. Given this, Eddie Jordan figures out one thing. Max must have been informed by the team even before the race began to hold station behind Checo. At least, Eddie would have done the same thing if he had been in Christian Horner‘s place.
Although Max denied the team’s order and took Checo’s points again! This created a very bad image of the ‘Mad Max’ as people already call him selfish. So to make it a little good and justify his second position after the chequered flag, “Max concocted something about the driveshaft,” said Jordan. He believes there was no vibration. But Verstappen made it look so to make the matter look a little good from his side.
The former F1 driver is absolutely convinced by the fact that Max Verstappen was already told to stay back if Sergio Perez was leading the race. Checo has been on pole, and Max on 15, by no rules, he was allowed to pass him. But he tried to do so! However, it is just “my view,” said the former team’s boss, as he would have said exactly the same thing to his driver before the race begins. Yes, you are not Einstien, but you still can figure out how it works. In Eddie’s opinion, Max found a decent excuse, “and it was the driveshaft.”
