Red Bull engineer explains ‘phenomenal’ Max Verstappen trait that extracts the maximum from the RB20

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Max Verstappen is undoubtedly a generational talent in Formula 1, but what makes him one of the best on the grid?

In the years since he joined the grid in 2015, Verstappen has developed into a world-class talent having won three Drivers’ World Championships in a row and on course to achieving a fourth.

Former F1 driver Gerhard Berger has described Verstappen as ‘the best we have ever seen’, owing to his ability to overtake drivers where other drivers cannot and drive to the full potential of a car.

In some cases his driving style has been the subject of controversy, most recently following his collision with Lando Norris while fighting for the lead in the Austrian Grand Prix.

Those who work with Verstappen know he is a methodical driver, with Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan explaining what makes him a stand-out in the latest Beyond the Grid F1 podcast.

Paul Monaghan explains Max Verstappen ‘ability’ that sets him apart from the F1 grid

Monaghan has worked with F1 greats including Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel during his stint at BAR Honda and as an engineer at Renault, before joining Red Bull in 2005.

His main role as chief engineer is to extract the maximum performance from the team’s machinery during a race weekend and find performance gains.

Discussing what makes Verstappen an impressive driver, Monaghan pinpointed a specific attribute that makes him stand out from the rest.

“He’s able to put the car on the limit throughout the corner is my interpretation of things,” said Monaghan.

“Some arrive at the corner and find a peak and then have to undershoot to get around the corner. He’s able to find the limit, overstep it by a tiny amount, undershoot by a tiny amount, and extract it [speed] that way.

“His resolution when he’s doing a debrief is mighty impressive. You think it’s all happening in slow motion, but these things are silly fast. He just breaks it down almost into sort of little sections of the corner. So his resolution of driving is quite phenomenal.”

Max Verstappen is already one of F1’s top three greatest drivers

At just 26 years old Verstappen has already cemented himself as one of F1’s greatest drivers statically in the history of the championship.

Verstappen produced some impressive stats during his domination last year at the wheel of the RB19, winning 19 out of 22 Grands Prix and achieving F1’s longest win streak of 10 races in a row.

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He also became the first driver to lead over 1,000 laps in a season (1,003) while he now sits third in the all-time race victories (61) behind Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (104).

Given Red Bull’s continued dominance, and interest from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff as a potential replacement for Hamilton, he is only likely to add to that growing list of achievements in the years to come.