Newey reveals trait Verstappen shares with F1 legends

Red Bull Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey has revealed a traitthat Max Verstappen possesses that is reserved for “truly greatdrivers”. Verstappen enjoyed a highly dominant campaign last year,winning 19 out of the 22 races staged en route to a third Formula 1World Championship. The Dutchman currently sits third in theall-time win list, surpassing fellow Red Bull-great SebastianVettel last season. With Red Bull the favourite again ahead of thisyear's campaign, Verstappen may well edge closer to the tallies ofMichael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, as well as adding moretitles to his achievements. His 2023 campaign was largely spent atthe head of the F1 field and he often won Grands Prix unchallengedby any of his rivals. Newey has worked with several high-profilenames in the past including Alain Prost and Mika Häkkinen. TheBriton has stated that Verstappen's abilities to control his pacebehind the cockpit mirror those of legendary drivers from the past.“I think Max, like all the truly great drivers, you have theimpression that he can drive the car almost subconsciously,” Neweytold Autosport . “And that then leaves him with plenty ofprocessing power to think about what the car is doing. “[Thatmeans] how he can modify his driving to suit the car, how he canchange the set-up via the electronic tools on the steering wheel toassist him in what he’s trying to achieve at that particular pointin the race and the particular deg the tyres are suffering andwhatever. “Basically, to read a race the whole way through. “And Ithink that is something that he’s kind of had when he first cameinto Formula 1, but perhaps he’s really been able to develop to avery high level now. “So, that kind of ability to drive the carextremely quickly, but still have constant reserve is somethingwhich Max very clearly has and I would say all the true greats thatI’ve worked with have also been the same.”