Over the past few weeks, Max Verstappen has been heavily involved in improving the RB21. During his visits to the factory in Milton Keynes, he was closely involved in implementing modifications to his so far less competitive Red Bull. Moreover, he took the opportunity to motivate the staff. The Dutchman warns of the luxury problems that sometimes plague the team.
Max Verstappen explained what his presence in Milton Keynes had yielded. “Do you know what the problem is in the world?”, he responded. “A lot of people want to work from home and no longer in the factory. I see that as a big problem, because it makes you lazy. You’re never fully focused on your work – at home, you’re easily distracted. Therefore, it’s nice to be able to look the people in the factory in the eyes. You can always convey more information than through a camera or a headset.”
‘Old School’ Communication
“Sometimes it’s very important to keep doing that, that ‘old school’ communication,” Max Verstappen continued. The winner of the Japanese Grand Prix was then asked about the actual feedback he was able to give to the staff. “I can only mention what I feel in the car,” he explained. “And in the end, it’s the others who have to come up with the solutions. That takes some time.” Does Verstappen slam his fist on the table at such a moment? “No, you really have to make me very angry,” he grinned. “That’s also unnecessary – you just have to constructively mention things and get to work on them.”
With his victory in Japan, Verstappen wanted to emphasize that the season is far from decided. He confirmed that McLaren still has a much faster car. “If I had been in that car, you wouldn’t have seen me anymore,” he joked. The interviewer noted that the Dutch champion would have already been in Tokyo. “Yes, and then back with the high-speed train,” he added with a laugh. “This is of course a great result, but also because overtaking here is difficult and the qualification was therefore very important,” he concluded on a serious note. “We’re not suddenly going to win everything, but it’s an encouraging result.”
