Last Updated on April 11 2025, 10:06 pm
Windsor rolls his eyes at Bahrain and shares paddock joke about Verstappen – Peter Windsor has long been one of F1’s most passionate and detailed analysts, a former manager for Williams and Ferrari turned pundit, presenter and journalist, he is a man who can make poetry out of tyre data and take delight in chassis development. But even the ever-enthusiastic Brit seemed unable to muster his usual excitement for the season’s return to Bahrain.
In his latest YouTube analysis, Windsor didn’t hold back on his views of the Sakhir circuit, which he finds increasingly uninspiring – and that ambivalence has cast a shadow over the potential thrills of the race weekend.
A year older in the run-up to the event, Windsor offered a frank assessment of the circuit and its current role on the F1 calendar. Despite the technical precision and prestige of modern Formula One, it was clear that the Middle Eastern venue had failed to impress him, and only one name – Max Verstappen – seemed capable of salvaging the spectacle in Windsor’s eyes.
Disappointment with Sakhir
“I’m finding it a bit hard to get excited about this, to be honest,” Windsor admitted with a sigh as he opened his post-mortem on Friday’s action.
The veteran commentator is no stranger to the characteristics of different circuits and the type of racing they tend to produce, but in Bahrain he sees a track that’s lost much of its intrigue.
Sakhir, which in recent years has hosted pre-season testing and kicked off the competitive season, offers a unique blend of long straights and slow corners, which has traditionally provided teams with a good balance for set-up work. But for Windsor, familiarity has bred boredom.
“Maybe that will change later in the weekend,” he continued, almost as if trying to convince himself.
“But Bahrain is a track that seems to get more boring every year.”
It was a blunt statement, but not entirely surprising given the tone of his analysis. In contrast to his usual upbeat assessments, Windsor’s comments portrayed Bahrain not as the gateway to an exciting new season, but as a dull, procedural stopover.
Where’s the challenge?
Much of Windsor’s disappointment stems from the way the cars now handle the track. As technology and downforce have improved, drivers are able to take more speed through corners that used to be a real challenge. Now, the edge-of-your-seat driving moments that once defined Sakhir have been dulled by grip and precision engineering.
“The corner speed has gone up,” he explained, referring specifically to the fast left-handers in turns 9 and 10.
“The nine-ten combination doesn’t seem so special anymore. Everybody seems to be doing well now.”
The famous double apex left-hander, once infamous for catching out even the most seasoned racers with its tricky braking and traction demands, has become far more manageable thanks to modern car development. This, says Windsor, has taken some of the drama out of the circuit.
“They just have a lot of grip in Turn 9 now, which they didn’t have in the past,” he said. “So it’s not as exciting as it used to be. What else is there in Bahrain? It’s all high-speed braking.”
That last line is perhaps the most telling. Windsor’s disinterest seems to be rooted in what he sees as a lack of complexity in the circuit’s layout. While other circuits might test drivers with rapid elevation changes, unpredictable grip levels or narrow run-off areas, Bahrain’s focus on heavy braking zones and long straights offers little variety, in his view.
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A lone bright spot: Verstappen
Still, Windsor found at least one reason to stay engaged – Max Verstappen. For him, the reigning world champion remains the magnetic centre of F1 at the moment. Amid what he sees as a rather uninspiring technical challenge, and a field of cars that are more similar than different in their approach to Bahrain, Verstappen’s brilliance continues to shine through.
The Dutchman’s early season form has once again set the tone. Windsor noted that Verstappen’s consistency, control and natural feel for the car still elevate him above the rest, even when the track does little to stir the soul.
And then came the paddock joke – a bit of humour circulating among teams and insiders that Windsor couldn’t resist sharing.
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A running gag involving Verstappen and McLaren
In the midst of his rather sombre technical breakdown, Windsor’s mood was lightened briefly when he mentioned a joke that was making its way around the paddock. With McLaren’s steady improvement in recent months, they’ve been closing in on Red Bull, and the question on everyone’s lips has been: just how close are they?
“There’s this joke going around,” Windsor chuckled, a gleam of mischief breaking through his usual measured tone.
“It’s about Verstappen and the McLaren guys. People are saying that the only way to beat Max this year is to convince him that driving a papaya car will win him more fans. Maybe then he’ll change sides and give the others a chance.”
The joke is tongue-in-cheek, of course. But it reflects a larger truth – even with strong driver pairings like Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the Woking garage, Verstappen’s dominance has become the yardstick. Teams are no longer just racing to win, they’re racing to beat Verstappen, which feels like a challenge in its own right.
McLaren’s resurgence is very real, and Windsor has praised their progress in other broadcasts. But the Red Bull ace remains in a league of his own for many, a reality that inspires both admiration and frustration among rivals.
A broader concern for excitement
While Windsor’s joke highlighted some of the light-hearted banter in the paddock, it also underlined a deeper issue that he’s alluded to several times before: the lack of real excitement at the front of the grid. With Verstappen’s Red Bull still looking the class of the field, Windsor is not alone in wondering where – and when – the real challenge will come from.
The Bahrain weekend may yet hold surprises, but Windsor’s early impressions are far from glowing. And while a lot can change between Friday and Sunday – with set-up changes, tyre strategies and race-day chaos often throwing predictions off course – the veteran analyst is banking on Verstappen to breathe life into what he feels could otherwise be another predictable Grand Prix.
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An ongoing conversation in F1
Windsor’s comments fit into a wider conversation within the sport about the types of circuits that best showcase the talent of today’s drivers. While Bahrain remains a staple due to its ideal testing conditions, weather reliability and world-class facilities, its racing reputation hasn’t kept pace with the growing drama of other venues such as Suzuka, Interlagos or even newer street circuits like Jeddah or Miami.
As long as Verstappen maintains his form and Bahrain continues to rely on its long straights and predictable layout, fans and analysts alike may continue to look to the Dutchman as the lone spark in an otherwise static start to the season.
But if there’s one thing F1 has taught its fans, it’s that stories can change quickly. All it takes is a moment of chaos, a strategic masterstroke or an unexpected qualifying surprise to turn a weekend on its head. Windsor may not be feeling the thrill just yet, but in Formula One, boredom can sometimes be broken in spectacular fashion.
Until then, Verstappen’s switch to papaya orange may be the only real plot twist the paddock can dream of.
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With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
