The 2021 Formula 1 season is remembered as one of the fiercest battles the sport has ever seen, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton pushing each other to the very limit. Four years on, fresh revelations from inside the Red Bull camp have shed light on the psychological games that unfolded away from the track.
Verstappen’s former physio and performance coach, Bradley Scanes, has lifted the lid on how the Dutchman and his team looked for every possible edge over Hamilton during their title fight. Speaking on The High Performance Podcast with Jake Humphrey, Scanes admitted some of Verstappen’s headline-grabbing moments were not spontaneous — but carefully planned.
“Absolutely, there were mind games,” Scanes revealed. “Brazil was a good example where Max went behind the Mercedes rear wing and gave it a proper feel. That was measured. He knew it would be a €50,000 fine with no impact on track. Within the team, it was discussed beforehand.”
That minor stunt not only created a storm in the media but also helped redirect pressure onto Mercedes, who dominated that particular race. Even if no rule change had followed, Scanes said the goal was simple: distraction.
Of course, the psychological battle extended beyond press conferences and paddock politics. Scanes recalled how even the post-session cool-down rooms became part of the rivalry. Traditionally, Hamilton would take his time getting changed, fixing his hair, and putting on fresh clothes before facing the media, leaving rivals waiting.
“Max was the opposite — he’d just throw on a new shirt or head straight in as he was,” Scanes explained. “But as the season progressed, we began to switch things up. Max would start taking his time too. Eventually, you could see Lewis waiting for him. It was that little power shift, like saying: ‘We’re not waiting for you anymore — the balance has changed.’”
Humphrey summed it up as a “power trip,” and Scanes agreed: “Exactly. It was about showing the baton had been passed.”
The relentless back-and-forth between Verstappen and Hamilton — amplified by Toto Wolff and Christian Horner’s constant sparring in the media — defined that unforgettable season. The controversial ending in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen clinched his maiden crown on the final lap, cemented its place in F1 history.
Since then, Verstappen has gone on to secure three more world championships, while Hamilton has struggled to hit the same heights. His move to Ferrari this year was supposed to spark a new chapter, but results have been far from perfect, and hopes of a record-breaking eighth title will have to wait.
Verstappen, meanwhile, is facing new challenges. McLaren’s rise — led by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri — has put them firmly in control of both championships. Next year’s regulation changes could yet reset the balance, but Verstappen won’t have Scanes in his corner after their 2023 split. Hamilton, however, has reunited with trusted performance coach Angela Cullen at Ferrari, rekindling a partnership that once helped drive his dominance.
The rivalry may have cooled on track, but the stories of their 2021 mind games prove just how much of that battle was fought in the shadows — as much psychological as mechanical.
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