Max admitted a while back that he wanted to crash to win the championship
A video that was once ‘fun’ suddenly takes on a completely different meaning. In 2019, several drivers reacted to the crash that determined the championship winner in 1990. Senna was behind Prost and won the world title. While it has never been admitted as such, the generally accepted conclusion is that Senna did this on purpose.
The same scenario is currently occurring again. As you know by now, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are tied in the championship, with 369.5 points each. Whoever wins the race immediately wins the world title. But if the two drivers crash and no penalties are handed out, Max wins the title.
Max Verstappen on the Senna-Prost crash: ‘Why not?’
In the 2019 video below, the F1 drivers watch the 1990 video. ‘What would you have done in this case?’ Max Verstappen asks his then teammate Pierre Gasly. “Probably the same,” replies the French driver. Verstappen then responds in agreement: ‘I mean, why not?’
Would he be different now?
The big question is whether he would give the same answer now. At the time, it was a casual comment with no consequences. Now that he is actually in a similar situation, he can look at it differently. Moreover, there is now much more pressure on the two front runners. We’ll see it on Sunday.
Watch the video here (starting 4:40): Max Verstappen on the Senna-Prost crash.