by VALERIO BARRETTA
Red Bull pampers Verstappen
That Max Verstappen aggressive and nervous is a distant memory, at least on the track. With the engines running, the Dutchman found a serenity unknown until a few years ago, both because Red Bull gave him the strongest car and because he matured as a person.
Verstappen has confined to the track that anger that he has carried with him since he was a boy, and this is demonstrated by those very decisive closures at every overtaking attempt (Charles Leclerc experienced this several times at the start this year). Off the track, most of the time he jokes with his colleagues, but when there is criticism to be made he certainly doesn't hold back. And Formula 1 knows this well: Super Max, faced with what he considers an excessive search for entertainment to the detriment of sport, has repeatedly threatened with withdrawal from competition. For team principal Chris Horner this aspect of his champion hides a sincerity now unknown within the paddock.
Horner's words
“We believe our pilots have freedom of choice. They are not robots, they have their own opinions. Max has a say as world champion, and we don't force him to take a PR view.. He is a young and very honest guy and he will tell you how he thinks“, these are his words ad Autosport.
“He doesn't like all the glitz surrounding Formula 1, but he never has. He does his job professionally. He is a real driver and he has his feet on the ground. And if he doesn't race here, he drives a GT car or races online. He lives and breathes this sport“, concluded the Briton, who then praised his champion for his maturation not only personally but also professionally. “If you look at the control he has in the race, the way he reads the grands prix and the tire management, he is exceptional. In the first corners, he was absolutely calmer than at the beginning of his career. He doesn't rush to do everything in the first two laps, but builds his path through the race“.
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