Max Verstappen's performance coach details mind games behind Lewis Hamilton 2021 title fight

Max Verstappen's performance coach at the time, Bradley Scanes, has given insight into the goings-on behind the scenes during the 2021 title battle between the Red Bull driver and Lewis Hamilton.

The 2021 Formula 1 drivers' championship became one of the most contentious title battles in the series. Verstappen ultimately won the title - his first of now four world titles. Scanes claimed that in the closing races of the season, the tension within the paddock could be cut with a knife while he revealed some of the mind games that were at play during the time. 

"2021 is probably the best experience I’ve ever had. I had a front-row, first-hand seat watching two greats of the sport go at it," he explained during an appearance on the High Performance podcast.

"And these were two greats of the sport. These two were fighting 20 seconds up the road from everybody else, but they were one second between them the entire time.

"And some of those races where you go, 'Hang on a minute, we’re going to win the championship.' And it’s like, 'Oh no, back against the ropes now.' And we didn’t win four of the last five.

"We were struggling, and whatever happened happened in Abu Dhabi, but both drivers for sure deserved to win that title that year. Obviously, I’m biased and we deserved it more," he added with a smile. "But it was a lot of pressure. It was intense. You could cut the tension with a knife in the paddock."

He continued: "I remember Brazil, so three races from the end and we’re next to each other in the garages, next to each other in the hospitality.

"The way the paddock’s laid out, you're having to walk past each other, walk past each other’s hospitality as well. And no one would even look at each other - Red Bull, Mercedes. No one would look at each other, no one would talk to each other.

"And nowadays, you’d stop and talk to your other half from Mercedes or guys you knew there, but in those last few races, it was a battle, it was war."

The 2021 drivers' championship battle went down to the season finale in Abu Dhabi, and as the tension rose between Red Bull and Mercedes, mind games came into play.

Pole man Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, and Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

"Brazil was 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," Scanes said.

"[It wasn't discussed with me personally], but for sure within the team it was discussed and it was a way to just ramp up the tension in the Mercedes garage. Even if nothing happened. And 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 shifted the focus, put a little bit of pressure in the media on them. Obviously, the games between Toto [Wolff] and Christian [Horner] were always clear to see in the media, but then backstage - cool-down rooms after between Max and Lewis or even Angela [Cullen] would kind of try and have a little go as well.

"One of the funniest things is just the time it would take to get ready. So when I first started working with Max, and when the top three were going to the cool-down room after the race or after qualifying, there’s a little area where you go. And Lewis would always take a long time to get ready. He would want to change fully out of his kit, get his hair done, put his own clothes on.

"Whereas Max would either change his suit or just go as he is to the press conference. And then as it kind of progressed, we started changing every part of the kit. And as it progressed again, you could see Max just taking his time."

He added: "But the flip was you can start to see Max really start to take his time, so then Lewis had to wait for him."