Bahrain cooldown room conversation proves Max Verstappen’s control over F1
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix cooldown room conversation gave an indication about Max Verstappen's calmness
Max Verstappen hinted that he knew was happening between other drivers in the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, during a glimpse into the cooldown room.
Red Bull driver Verstappen cruised through the 2024 season-opener to register his first victory, and continue where he left off last year.
Teammate Sergio Perez was second in an ominous indicator of Red Bull’s ability.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz joined them on the podium, while Charles Leclerc was fourth.
Verstappen said to Sainz in the cooldown room afterwards: “Not a bad race, right?”
Perez asked: “It was close with Charles?”
Verstappen asked: “You had to pass him two times?”
Sainz overtook his Ferrari teammate on Turn 1 when Leclerc was struggling for grip.
Leclerc, who had started from pole position, later found himself ahead of his teammate. But Sainz slipped past again to confirm his own podium.
The fact that Verstappen knew about the Ferraris battling behind him was a key clue about the dominance he enjoyed in Bahrain.
Sky Sports commentator David Croft noted: “‘You had to pass him two times’ - was Max watching the rest of the race?
“Has he got a monitor? Has he got Sky Go in his car?”
Martin Brundle replied: “Earlier on he said ‘I saw that one’. He had obviously been watching on the big screen.”
Crofty said: “He looked as comfortable there as he did asking if were okay before the race, as he did for 57 laps during it!”
Verstappen looked totally unruffled in the cooldown room afterwards.
The cooldown room has been jokingly referred to as the ‘Verstappen podcast’ because Max is joined by various guests every weekend.
Beginning 2024 as he means to go on, Verstappen will be eyeing a fourth consecutive F1 championship and has made a brutal start.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
