Max Verstappen has had a dream 2023 season, winning 12 of the 14 races held. The Dutchman has been a league apart from his competition, and while most of the F1 world claims that it is the RB19 that is responsible for Verstappen’s dominance, Red Bull Technical director Pierre Waché has revealed to GPFans another secret behind Verstappen’s extraordinary success.
Verstappen recently set a new world record at the Italian GP after winning ten successive races in a row and is en route to win his 3rd championship title. As for his team, Red Bull is aiming to win all the races of the season, and they only have eight to go until the end of the season.
A lot of praise for Verstappen’s recent success has gone towards the RB19, which truly is a beast compared to the other cars. However, even with the same car, Verstappen’s teammate Perez has failed to perform anywhere near that of Verstappen. Therefore, it is probably the driver and not the car, and Waché has also testified to that.
Max Verstappen has an extremely unique driving style
Talking to GPFans, Waché revealed that Verstappen has an extremely unique driving style that sets him apart from other drivers. The reigning World Champion likes his car more sensitive at the front, in contrast to other drivers who want more feeling in the rear of the car.
This extreme driving style allows Verstappen to make the most out of his car. Waché said, “It is very difficult to find performance in the rear of the car. Finding performance in the front of the car is a bit easier. He, thus, opens the door for us to make the car faster because he has the capacity and also the preference to have a very sensitive front end.”
Waché also spoke about the mindset of Verstappen that helps the team in their stride forward. He makes huge demands from the teams, and he always gives his best. “The combination of him and us: we have the same goal in mind and the same mentality,” said Waché.
The main difference between Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel
Waché further delved into how Verstappen compared with Sebastian Vettel – who also had a similar period of domination with Red Bull back in the early 2010s. He explained that both of the drivers had quite a lot of similarities – but had one major difference.
Waché explained that their main difference was their feedback to the team. “They differ a bit in the sense that Max is a bit more focused on what makes his car faster or slower at that moment. Seb was more concerned with the complete system of how the car worked. It’s a different approach to feedback,” said Waché.
However, regarding results, Verstappen has already broken Vettel’s record of consecutive wins. With the current level of performance that the Dutchman is showing, he might just end up breaking Vettel’s record of 4 World Championships.
