Max Verstappen’s fast start to practice in Saudi Arabia surprised F1 pundits Martin Brundle and Damon Hill.
Former Formula One drivers Martin Brundle and Damon Hill have praised Max Verstappen for his “fully dedicated” and “maximum attack” strategy during first practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Verstappen hit the ground running as drivers took to the all-new, ultra-fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the first time, producing a series of flying laps much faster than the rest of the field.
Despite the fact that he was eventually passed by title challenger Lewis Hamilton, both Brundle and Hill praised Verstappen’s commitment while reviewing the opening practice for their television duties.
“He was absolultely flying”
With Verstappen leading Hamilton by eight points in the championship battle, Brundle believes it was a clear statement of intent from the Red Bull driver.
“Max struggled a bit on the Soft tyres towards the end, but I thought it was quite a statement he made there of, ‘I’m turning up in the next two weekends to win this World Championship’,” said Brundle.
“He just came out of the traps, didn’t he? He was absolutely flying and totally committed, leaving nothing really much to the imagination through some of the corners.
“But when the final reckoning came, Lewis had the edge.”
Has Verstappen peaked too soon?
Hill, who ended the session half a tenth behind Hamilton, expressed his “astonishment” at Verstappen’s approach, but questions how much more speed he would be able to extract as the weekend progresses.
“You’re talking about a man who’s had just about everything thrown at him and he’s survived against most of those things,” Hill remarked when asked about Hamilton’s situation heading into the weekend.
“I’m not anxious that he was not as aggressive as Max was. Max was on it straight away, maximum attack and also using all of the road.
“The trouble with that is, when you’ve done that, and someone else goes quicker, what have you got to do after that? You’ve got nothing left.”
