Adrian Newey Puts Max Verstappen in the League of F1 Greats by Pointing the One Thing He Has in Common With Them

With three world titles and a plethora of records already attached to his name, Max Verstappen has proved himself as one of the best drivers in the history of F1. Speaking about him in an interview with Motorsport, Red Bull CTO Adrian Newey detailed the similarity he sees between the Dutchman and some other greats to have graced F1 over the years.

“I think Max [Verstappen], like all really great drivers, can control the car almost unconsciously. And that gives him enough mental capacity to also think about what the car is doing.”

Giving examples of how the 26-year-old uses his mental capacity, Newey pointed out Verstappen is quick to adapt his driving style according to the car’s demands. The Red Bull driver often has enough time to change the set-up of the car via the electronic aids on the steering wheel to adjust the car with what he’s trying to do during various stages of a race and further control the extent to which the tires wear out.

 

Adrian Newey on Max Verstappen:
“The thing I observe from the really great drivers, is their ability to make it feel like they’re driving the car on automatic.”

“That leaves them plenty of processing power to think about how they’re using tyres, how the race is unfolding, when… pic.twitter.com/zdOoZ7QHmT

— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) October 10, 2023

Having noticed glimpses of Verstappen’s gift, it isn’t a surprise for Newey to see him become a three-time world champion. The 65-year-old revealed Verstappen had the ability even before he entered the F1 grid, but he has now been able to develop it to a very high level. Furthermore, Newey said Verstappen’s ability to drive extremely fast and still have reserve power is something he saw with all the other greats he worked with, too.

Newey played a pivotal role in helping Max Verstappen and other F1 greats climb the mountain

While there is no denying Verstappen drove at his absolute best in 2023, a lot of the credit for an incredible season has to go to the prowess of the RB19 and its primary designer – Adrian Newey. While there is no question the RB19 stands as arguably the most dominant car in the history of F1, it isn’t the first time Newey came up with a car design capable of destroying all competition.

 

All championship cars designed by Adrian Newey:

1. Williams FW14B (WCC, WDC)
2. Williams FW15C (WCC, WDC)
3. Williams FW16 (WCC)
4. Williams FW18 (WCC, WDC)
5. Williams FW19 (WCC, WDC)
6. McLaren MP4/13 (WCC, WDC)
7. McLaren MP4/14 (WDC)
8. Red Bull RB6 (WCC, WDC)
9. Red Bull… pic.twitter.com/9UGbD7CxOz

— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) January 6, 2024

In 1992, Newey came up with his first championship-winning design while working with Williams. The FW14B was in a league of its own back in the day, setting the lap record in each of the 16 Grands Prix that year while winning 10 of them. Alongside Newey, Williams won the championship from 1992 to 1994 and again in 1996 and 1997.

In 1998, Newey switched to McLaren and came up with the McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13- the car that would win them the year’s constructors’ title. From 2010 to 2013, Newey once again delivered championship-winning cars for Red Bull before setting off on a course for a historic new era in F1 with the RB18 and RB19.