Max Verstappen might be dominating Formula 1 in the past couple of years. However, his talents were recognized by Red Bull when he was merely 17 years old. Although before the Austrian team set his sights on Verstappen, he was already showing glimpses of his superiority to the racing world. An honest admission by ex-F1 driver, Adrian Sutil has proved this.
Back in the day, Sutil trained Jules Szymkowiak, Verstappen‘s teammate in Van Amersfoort Racing in the 2014 F3 season. In a recent video going viral on Instagram, the German gave a glimpse into the Dutchman’s racing prowess.
He said, “I was watching Max really close when I was coaching him teammate in F3. It’s the only year he did in cars [before F1]. I know our car had a bit of understeer in the team, it was turn 12 at Hungary (Hungaroring).
“I watched him try and rotate it on the entry, couldn’t. So next lap he went over the apex kerb and it kicked the rear out, It was like a karting style but in F3 and it was beautiful. I was (audible gasp), he’s figuring this out at 16, we’re screwed!”
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This was the three-time champion’s only year racing in junior formulas before he made the switch to F1. He was showcasing his talents from the get-go, as per the 41-year-old’s admission. In fact, despite Verstappen finishing only third in the championship it was enough to convince Red Bull of his talents.
His recent exploits are proof that the Austrian team’s gamble was right on the money. However, despite dominating the sport for the past two years, his reign is under threat. Although, the team back in Milton Keynes has a perfect reply to such suggestions.
Red Bull is expected to bring upgrades in Imola to give Max Verstappen a boost
Unlike 2023, McLaren and Ferrari have already won a race in 2024. Lando Norris became the third person to steal a win from Max Verstappen since the start of 2023. Despite the dominance, the gap seems to be narrowing. This is exactly why Red Bull is ready to introduce their first upgrade in the first race of the European leg of the season.
As reported by RacingNews365, Helmut Marko revealed the team’s planned changes for Imola will give a massive boost to the reigning world champion. Marko said, “We are bringing an upgrade to Imola, which I expect a lot from. But Miami shows that we need to concentrate on the sporting side of things.”
The upgrades can put the already superior RB20 out of touching distance. However, nothing is guaranteed as even Ferrari has extensive changes in the pipeline for Imola. Despite the gap in the overall standings, the season is heating up and there’s still a lot to race for.
