Max Verstappen will begin his tenth Formula 1 season with a new personal trainer, following the departure of Bradley Scanes, who fondly recalls bonding with Verstappen during the 2020 COVID lockdown period.
Highlights
‣ Max Verstappen will start his tenth Formula 1 season with a new personal trainer, following the departure of Bradley Scanes.
‣ Scanes and Verstappen had a significant bonding period during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020, their first year of partnership.
‣ The lockdown period was beneficial for their relationship as it forced them to spend more time together.
‣ Despite losing frequently, Scanes enjoyed playing games like darts and FIFA with Verstappen during their downtime.
Max Verstappen, the three-time world champ, is kicking off his tenth Formula 1 season with a new personal trainer. Bradley Scanes, his former performance coach, called it quits in November 2023. The two Brits had some memorable times together, with one moment standing out in particular.
COVID-19 and the Verstappen-Scanes Partnership
The COVID lockdown period? That’s what Scanes remembers most about his time with Verstappen. It was 2020, their first year working together. Bonding was key.
Scanes recalls, “We were both lucky and unlucky, I suppose. Our first season was in 2020. We spent the entire pre-season together. 8, 9, 10 weeks in Monaco. Training, grabbing lunch, playing darts, and FIFA. That’s how we bonded. Then we headed to the first race, and well, COVID hit. We all got sent back.”
He shared these memories on the Red Flags podcast.
Lockdown: A Blessing in Disguise?
The lockdown period? Scanes thinks it was a good thing for them. “It forced us to stay together even longer. You couldn’t really do anything. You couldn’t go out,” he revealed.
And those games of darts and FIFA? Verstappen had the upper hand. When asked if Scanes was competitive, he admitted, “I wish they were. I lost a lot of times.”
