Adrian Newey Says Verstappen Was Silly To Brake Test Hamilton In Saudi Arabia

Red Bull's chief technical officer Adrian Newey has revealed that Max Verstappen was silly to have brake tested in the inaugural Saudi Arabian GP last year where the two collided. Verstappen had overtaken Hamilton illegally and was ordered to give up the position but he lifted dramatically that too before the DRS zone which would've left Hamilton exposed to an overtake. Hamilton was confused and had a minor collision with the Dutchman.

"Probably what he did in Brazil last year was a bit naughty. Saudi was silly. I think he got frustrated with Lewis not overtaking him but he still shouldn't have brake-tested him," said the legendary F1 designer who even was critical of his driver for his actions in the Brazilian GP.

The Red Bull CTO has praised Max Verstappen

But then he also goes on to critique the 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and said he was responsible for the crash in Silverstone.

"But Silverstone to me was a clear professional foul [by Hamilton] and people seem to have a short memory. They brand an individual and it takes time for that to go," he said.

Generally, Newey was all praises for the Verstappen. He noted that the Dutchman always managed to get the maximum out of the car and gave good feedback to improve it. He also said that his tyre management skills were excellent and at the so we time was very open and easy to work with