Max Verstappen is technically inferior to Sebastian Vettel according to Guillaume Rocquelin
Sebastian Vettel's former race engineer at Red Bull, talks about the achievements of Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. Two world champions with Red Bull, the team he has worked for for over 15 years.
The current manager of the Red Bull young drivers program spoke about the qualities of the two world champions from the Austrian team. He particularly highlighted Sebastian Vettel’s technical expertise when he was his race engineer and they won four world titles from 2010 to 2013. He believes that the German world champion was more well-rounded than his Dutch counterpart. This is mainly due to the completely different eras in which the two drivers competed.
« Professionally, technically, in mediation… he learned at the Schumacher school, it was his idol. He asked a lot of questions, took a lot of notes, and when he arrived at our place, he was very rigorous. It’s no coincidence that he won several titles. He was better prepared technically, mentally. Max may have had more natural talent, that’s what he relied on the most. But Sebastian was the most complete.
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Max Verstappen is also a talented driver, but he still has a long way to go to reach the versatility and expertise of the four-time German world champion, according to Guillaume Rochelin.
« He has tremendous self-confidence, he knows what he wants, and he’s very straightforward. But I’ll be honest: Max is technically weak compared to other drivers we’ve worked with. I think he still has a lot of progress to make. He is a leader in his attitude and his results. But I believe he can improve from a technical standpoint and in the way he develops the car. »
However, the Red Bull engineer is in awe of Verstappen’s progress and performances this season. The Dutch driver has won 14 races in 2022.
He has gained in maturity. He has gained in consistency. Winning the championship has given him a lot of confidence, and he drives differently.
If Verstappen has demonstrated his talent over the past two seasons by winning the title, his talent cannot be determined solely by these two titles won in 2021 and 2022 according to the French.
To say that an era begins just because he starts winning titles is not necessarily correct. It began when he won his first race with us.
The desire to keep winning titles with the young Dutch driver motivates the Austrian team to push its limits.
« … we hope to keep winning titles. It is up to us to make a car that matches its talent. »
