Max Verstappen has an incredible presence of mind when he’s competing in F1. His focus doesn’t just lie on the track, but off it as well, as was clearly visible back at the 2019 Abu Dhabi GP. During the race, he was so focused on his surroundings, that he figured out the Ferrari drivers’ strategies, just by listening to noises on the team radio.
Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was talking to the Dutchman, giving him valuable input to maximize his performance. As Lambiase kept on talking, Verstappen suddenly asked him whether both the Ferrari drivers were on two-stops. After a brief pause, Lambiase replied by saying, “Correct.”
Fans listening back home were astounded. The commentators too, praised Verstappen for his strong presence of mind. As soon as Lambiase confirmed that both Ferraris were on two-stop strategies indeed, Verstappen explained that he heard the cars in the background when he was talking to him.
Max Verstappen repeats Abu Dhabi magic at the 2023 Spanish GP
Verstappen is once again in the news for something similar that happened this weekend at the Spanish GP practice session. His strong awareness of his surroundings was on full display once again. This time, however, the noise he heard in the background wasn’t that of an F1 car. Instead, Verstappen heard Helmut Marko‘s phone ring when Lambiase was on the team radio.
“Someone’s phone is going,” the 25-year-old said on Friday. “Is that Helmut’s?”
Lambiase seemed a bit surprised by Verstappen’s question but quickly assured him that it was Marko’s phone that was ringing. The commentators on Sky Sports couldn’t believe the ‘capacity’ Verstappen was operating at.
While driving an F1 car at the highest level, recognizing the ring tone of his team’s chief advisor in the background when his race engineer was taking to him over radio, was truly remarkable.
Verstappen feeling comfortable ahead of Spanish GP race
Verstappen is the favorite to win the 2023 Spanish GP, with Red Bull’s dominance playing a huge part in why other teams and drivers aren’t able to challenge him at the moment. On Friday, his brilliance was evident as he topped both FP1 and FP2, to prepare himself for qualifying on Saturday.
In FP1, he was a class apart, finishing more than seven-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Sergio Perez in second. FP2 was a bit close, with hometown hero Fernando Alonso coming close to taking P1 from him.
Despite that, he seems to be comfortable with how his car feels at the moment. Plus, the track changes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya have played to his strengths, as he believes that a faster layout suits him more.
Currently, the Dutchman is 39 points ahead of second placed Perez in the standings. By winning the Spanish GP, he will be looking to extend his lead the top of the championship standings.
