Max Verstappen defended over Zandvoort crash: 'He would have been the hero'

Ralf Schumacher is not prepared to write off Max Verstappen's crash at the Dutch Grand Prix as a straightforward driver error.

Instead, the former F1 driver placed the incident firmly in the context of the difficult, changeable conditions at Zandvoort and the frustration that had been building inside the Dutchman's Red Bull cockpit.

Speaking on Sky Sport Germany's F1 podcast Backstage Boxengasse, Schumacher was measured but clear in his assessment of what unfolded.

"Well, what does a driver error mean when it comes to Max? I think someone who basically always goes to the limit, especially in these kinds of changing conditions, can make a difference," the six-time grand prix winner said.

"We are talking about a driver who loves racing in the rain and enjoys it, and on a half-dry track in particular he can make a difference. But he was fairly frustrated with the car."

On the precise cause of the crash itself, Schumacher was careful not to be too definitive: "Then I have to say: yes, you could argue now that it was a driver error, or that he simply landed on a wet patch.

"In that spot, it is really not funny. He hit the barriers pretty hard, from what I saw. So I think he has a headache today. Poor guy."

Schumacher identified a pattern of mounting frustration in the lead-up to the incident. The start had not gone to plan, and super-sub Liam Lawson, who was filling in at Zandvoort, had put Verstappen under pressure over the first lap, which the former Jordan, Williams and Toyota driver felt caused the Dutchman to force the issue.

"I think there was also a bit of frustration involved," he added. "The start was already not ideal. His team-mate held firm there, and I think he simply wanted to try to make a difference, to get past and take more risk."

The logic behind that decision was understandable, Schumacher argued: "If it had worked, he would have overtaken two of them at the end of the straight. He probably would have been the hero. And now, he is not. That is the difference in Formula 1."

The 50-year-old also drew a parallel with his own career, though he was careful not to overstate the comparison.

"The person sitting in that car makes a decision," he said. "And that has happened to me plenty of times too, even though I am not to be compared with Max Verstappen. You make a decision, and it is simply not always the right one."