WATCH: Max Verstappen Pokes Fun at Nico Rosberg as Alex Albon Takes a Dig on Maldonado

Published 10/23/2019, 9:55 AM EDT

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During a Formula One Grill the Grid episode featuring Red Bull, Max Verstappen and Alex Albon had a field day. The two drivers even threw sneaky digs at former drivers Pastor Maldonado and Nico Rosberg.

Albon was the first one to throw shade, aimed at the Venezuelan, when they were asked to identify a circuit. As soon as the question was uttered, Verstappen immediately jumped in and answered correctly.

Albon immediately called for a slow-mo for jumpstarts, because “That was like a Maldonado“. The Thai driver was referring to the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, where the then Williams driver had a massive jumpstart. Max Verstappen cut in, with a reference to Valtteri Bottas and his start in Austria.

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Then, it was Verstappen’s turn to throw on the shade, as they had to name drivers who scored more than 25 poles. Albon guessed Nico Rosberg correctly, prompting a puzzled Max Verstappen to ask, “Who?”, before guffawing.

It is no secret that Nico Rosberg’s post-race analysis vlogs have not won him many fans. In fact, Verstappen even dubbed the 2016 champion as the ‘New Jacques Villeneuve’

Finally, the last bit of shade was directed at all the other teams, by both drivers. Their final score was 29 points, putting them on top of the table by 7 points ahead of Ferrari. However, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, Racing Point and Renault are yet to take the challenge.

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In terms of the intra-team rivalry, Alexander Albon beat Max Verstappen by a single point, with 15 to Max’s 14. Now, the two drivers will be looking forward to the Mexican Grand Prix 2019, where Max has won twice, and aiming for a hat-trick.

With the thinner air and cooler temperatures, it may suit the Red Bull and make them the favourites of the weekend. However, the team’s sole purpose will be to delay Lewis Hamilton’s title celebrations for as long as possible.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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