It has been revealed that in the white-hot crucible of the 2021 Formula 1 season, where Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton battled tooth-and-nail for the world title, the Red Bull charger deliberately stepped into the spotlight — and straight into the crosshairs of the stewards.
During the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen lingered in parc fermé after qualifying and got handsy with the rear wing on Hamilton’s Mercedes.
The move, revealed recently by his former performance coach Bradley Scanes, was no accident. It was a calculated gamble – and a masterclass in mind games – that carried a hefty fine but ultimately served its purpose in shifting the narrative of a fiery title fight.
The Rear Wing Incident
After Hamilton secured pole position in São Paulo, Verstappen was filmed walking up to the Mercedes W12 in parc fermé, where he gave the rear wing a thorough examination.
Red Bull had been convinced Mercedes was benefitting from a flexing wing that gave a huge straight-line speed advantage. So Verstappen’s tactile investigation wasn’t just curiosity—it was a premeditated ploy to draw the stewards’ eyes to the Silver Arrow machine.
“Brazil was a good example [of mind games],” Scanes recalled on the High Performance podcast. “Max went behind the Mercedes rear wing and was giving it a good feel.
“That was measured. He knew he was going to get a 50k fine and no impact on track. “[He had] not [spoken with] me personally, but within the team it was discussed.”
The ruse paid off almost instantly. FIA checks revealed Hamilton’s DRS flap opened 0.2 millimetres more than regulations allowed, leading to his disqualification from qualifying and a back-of-the-grid start for the Sprint race.
Mercedes later explained the breach was caused by a broken wing, not the flexing element Red Bull had suspected.
A Distraction Worth Every Penny
For Verstappen and Red Bull, however, the psychology of the stunt was just as valuable as the technical fallout.
“Even if nothing happened, [it would have been worth it],” said Scanes. “I think there was a change. So for the last two races, they couldn't run that particular wing.
“So that was helpful in its own sense because they absolutely ran away with that Brazil race. But even if nothing happened, that would have just shifted the focus, put a little bit of pressure in the media on them.”
While Hamilton went on to storm through the field on Sunday to claim a stunning victory, Verstappen’s calculated move had already altered the atmosphere, ensuring the spotlight wasn’t solely on Mercedes’ dominance.
Gamesmanship On and Off Track
The incident, Scanes added, was emblematic of a season that was fought as much through psychological blows as through wheel-to-wheel racing.
"Obviously the games between Toto and Christian were always clear to see in the in the media, but then backdoors or backstage as it were, cool down rooms after between Max and Lewis, or even Angela [Cullen] would kind of try and have a have a little go as well,” he explained.
In the end, Verstappen’s championship-winning campaign was defined not only by daring overtakes and racecraft, but also by subtle, tactical strikes like the Brazil parc fermé moment – a reminder that in Formula 1, mind games can sometimes be as decisive as lap times.
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