F1: Engineer thinks Verstappen 'weak technically', was misquoted

Red Bull Racing Head of Car Engineering Paul Monaghan, when asked this morning about Verstappen’s Technical ability:

“If we may just correct some things. It was a poor translation from an interview from a colleague of mine. So, it’s a little bit misquoted.

Red Bull Racing Head of Car Engineering Paul Monaghan attends a press conference prior to practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 12, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

“However, to answer your question. Max is technically extremely gifted. He did a lot of work as a youngster, often guided by his father. And you can see the legacy of that. He knows what he’s talking about within the car. And he knows what he wants. And with his engineers, they know how to deliver a car that he finds nicely-balanced, easy to drive – well, not necessarily easy to drive but drivable – looks after its tires well enough that he can manage a situation.

“And if you look at his record over the past seasons he’s been with us, it’s stunning. He wouldn’t achieve that if he wasn’t an exceptional driver. And can he improve? Yes, of course he can. He might not thank me for saying that. But I think there are areas he can get a little bit better. He’ll dig into himself and think what could he do better for a season. And it’s up to us to give him a car to go and demonstrate those skills next year.”

November 8, 2022

(GMM) Max Verstappen is “weak technically”, according to Red Bull’s former engineering boss.

Guillaume ‘Rocky’ Rocquelin (shown above), who currently runs Red Bull’s driver development academy, says the new back-to-back world champion “still has a lot of progress to make” in that area.

“I think Sebastian (Vettel) was a more complete driver than Max when he arrived with us,” he told Eurosport France’s Les Fous du Volant podcast.

“At the professional level, technique, mediation, he was trained at the Schumacher school, who was his idol. I think Max has more natural talent, that’s what he relied on the most. But Sebastian was the most complete.

“Max has always been a boss. He has enormous self-confidence, he knows what he wants and he is very direct,” Rocquelin added. “But I’ll be honest – Max is weak technically compared to other drivers we’ve worked with.

“He is a leader by his attitude, his results. But I think he can improve from a technical point of view and in the way of developing the car.”