Formula 1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn says watching Max Verstappen reminds of him Michael Schumacher “in many ways”.
Last Sunday, the Dutchman produced a brilliant performance to beat both Mercedes as they struggled with tyre wear, and even had the ability to come up with witty comebacks and reminding his engineer to “stay hydrated” and “sanitise”.
Though that kind of interaction may seem insignificant, though it did bring some amusement, Brawn explained how actually it’s just another example of how talented Verstappen is.
“Max was simply sensational at Silverstone,” he wrote in his post-race column for Formula1.com.
“He reminds me of Michael Schumacher in many ways. When you listen to his radio, he’s clearly got spare capacity.
“The limit of the car is not the limit of Max Verstappen. He is able to feel the subtlety of the car and respond perfectly. I remember Max’s early days in Formula 1 where his speed was clear – he has now matured into an exceptional racing driver.
“I loved his radio, particularly when he said he didn’t want to “drive like a grandma” when the team asked him to manage his tyres. It shows huge confidence and a relationship in the team, which is very strong.”
The humour and personality Verstappen has shown is quite different from the Max that we’ve come to know over the years, even if was always up for a laugh when Daniel Ricciardo was at Red Bull.
And he explained to The Race that showing off his less serious side is an intentional change aimed at helping the team relax.
“Now I probably speak up a bit more, because why not?” he said.
“It’s also funny for the guys taking a bit of pressure off. Sometimes you can see maybe like a mechanic being nervous or whatever. I like to take the pressure off for everyone.
“That doesn’t mean that you’re not focused but sometimes it’s nice to have a little laugh just before it starts. It can relax the body a bit more. I think it’s good for everyone.”
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Verstappen then alluded to the mental capacity that Brawn mentioned, when commenting on how he was able to come up with the comments while also concentrating on the driving.
“At one point you become a bit like a robot where everything just happens very naturally,” he said. “You don’t need to think about it anymore. You know, lap after lap you know what you have to do.
“But also if you have like changing conditions that’s a different thing again because then you probably need to focus more, like you need to be really alert.
“A race like last year in Germany, there is never really a time to rest because the track is changing all the time, you’re on different tyres, it’s wet then it’s dry, pitstops, want to make the right call.
“[In the British GP] I was not really under pressure. You get more like on autopilot or something.”
