Is Max Verstappen masking some of the performance of the Red Bull? F1 pundit speculates

F1 pundit Scott Mitchell-Malm claims that Max Verstappen often backs off by a 'percent or two' in races and is not entirely masking Red Bull's performance in 2023. The two-time world champion breezed his way to victory in Canada, winning yet another race in 2023.

With his win in Montreal, Verstappen gifted Red Bull its 100th win in the sport. In doing so, the Dutchman has now equaled Ayrton Senna's win record with 41 victories to his name.

Given the RB19's advantage over the rest of the grid in 2023, it has been speculated that Verstappen is hiding his true pace to stop the FIA from somehow hindering the Austrian team.

While most in the F1 world joke about how Max Verstappen is using only 70% of his true potential, Mitchell-Malm believes that it is actually just a 'percent or two' that the Dutchman holds back on.

Speaking to The Race podcast, Mitchell-Malm said:

"We sometimes exaggerate and say that Verstappen is running at 70-80% and is unleashing what he needs to when he needs to. Reality is, it's a percent or two, isn't it? It's backing off that little bit that he doesn't need to run entry and exit kerbs as aggressively. It's all these little things that take the edge off."

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Why didn't Max Verstappen enjoy a huge victory margin in Canada?

While the Dutchman did win the 2023 F1 Canadian GP by a 9-second margin over Fernando Alonso, the Red Bull driver was evidently not as dominant as he usually is. F1 pundit Mark Hughes claims it is due to the nature of the track in Canada.

Verstappen has been the de facto dominant force this year, having won all of his races by a healthy margin (barring the safety car-ridden race in Australia). However, this time out in Canada, the Red Bull RB19 didn't seem as dominant as it usually does in race conditions.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is perhaps the only track where drivers are encouraged to burn into their tires, as most were struggling to keep heat in their Pirellis.

Mark Hughes believes that Max Verstappen might have benefited from a car with higher tire degradation in Canada, given the track's nature. The Dutchman would have been able to keep more heat in his tires and would have been more dominant in Montreal.

With the gap to Red Bull reducing, it will be interesting to watch the remainder of the season play out.