Max Verstappen’s ex-coach says €50,000 penalty for touching Lewis Hamilton’s rear wing in 2021 was a “measured move” 

Max Verstappen had been fined €50,000 for touching Lewis Hamilton's then-Mercedes' rear wing during the qualifying session of the 2021 Brazilian GP. Now, the Dutchman's former trainer has revealed that it was a deliberate move. His former trainer, Bradley Scanes, shared that the move was discussed within the garage, and Verstappen executed it after the qualifying session.

The 2021 F1 season saw Verstappen win his first world championship. However, this title did not come off easily after he and Hamilton were often level pegging heading into race weekends.

With Mercedes often having the edge over Red Bull in the latter half of the season, the Dutchman tried to tip the balance in his favor by applying pressure on his rivals. Scanes shared on the High Performance podcast that Verstappen's decision to touch the rear wing of the Mercedes W12 was a measured move, as he said:

"Brazil is a good example, where 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."

When asked about whether the move was planned beforehand, Verstappen said:

"Not [with] me personally, but for sure within the within the team it was it was discussed and it was a way to just ramp up the tension in the Mercedes garage."

Since the 2021 title fight, Max Verstappen has gone on to win three more drivers' titles, all while Lewis Hamilton has not met his previous highs in the past few years.

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Max Verstappen once shared his faith in Lewis Hamilton amid his subpar performance

Lewis Hamilton (L) and Max Verstappen (R) at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Belgium - Source: Getty

Since 2022, Lewis Hamilton has won merely two races in the sport. These victories came last year with Mercedes, but after his last race win in the Belgian GP, he has only had a solitary podium result, which came last year at the 2024 Las Vegas GP.

Despite this, his former championship rival, Max Verstappen, had asserted how the Briton would always be at the front of the field whenever he has a competitive car, as he said, via GPBlog:

"I felt like as soon as he had that competitive car, and there was a chance of winning, you could see that he really stepped up. Then there were some races where the car was difficult and he was like: ‘Whatever.'"

Meanwhile, in the 2025 season, Verstappen has also suffered a decline in performance, although not entirely his fault, as Red Bull has often not had a car to fight for race wins. However, he has salvaged two race victories and sits third in the drivers' standings, behind McLaren's duo.