What makes Max Verstappen such an exceptional and special racer? Pierre Waché, the Technical Director, certainly has the answer. According to the Red Bull engineer, Verstappen shares one crucial quality with other sports icons like Roger Federer and Michael Jordan.
With three world titles and multiple records to his name, Max Verstappen is already one of the greats in Formula 1 racing. His talent has not gone unnoticed among his Red Bull colleagues. Technical Director Pierre Waché even dares to compare Verstappen with a number of other sports legends.
What Makes Verstappen Special?
“Because he is like all the legends in every sport,” Waché responded to the question of what makes Verstappen so special. “Some people are capable of doing things that no one else can. I don’t know how or why. But that’s what he can do. He’s like Roger Federer (tennis player), like Michael Jordan (basketball player). These kinds of people can do things that no one else can.”
Verstappen’s Feedback
For Waché, and Verstappen’s other Red Bull colleagues, it’s also very nice that the Dutchman operates at such a high level. “It gives him the opportunity to free up some brain capacity to drive and analyze what he needs and what he wants at the same time,” the Frenchman explains. “His feedback is very interesting because he uses the car to the limit, like no one else does.”
Verstappen’s feedback is not only interesting but also crucial for the team in the search for improvements to the RB20. “The feedback from both drivers is very important for how we develop and how we solve problems, because making a fast car is basically not difficult,” says Waché. “What is difficult is to make a car fast so that the driver can use it. If I were in the car, I would not be able to extract the performance.”
