0
David Coulthard was still discussing Max Verstappen's future possibilities a few weeks ago. He is not anymore. The former Red Bull driver has moved to a firm conclusion, and the moment that changed his thinking was the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring.
No Other Team Can Give Him What Red Bull Does
Coulthard made his case on the Up to Speed podcast. The core of the argument is about freedom rather than performance. No other team in Formula 1 is structured in a way that allows Verstappen to be fully himself, and Coulthard believes that matters more to him than the car or the championship prospects.
Herbert Says Verstappen Is Playing Games With His Future Threats and Will Never Actually Leave
Verstappen Effect Shatters All-Time Nurburgring Attendance Record
"As I now see it, there is no team in Formula 1 where Max can truly be himself. Not McLaren, not Ferrari, and not Mercedes in the end, even if that were theoretically possible." The observation goes back to the founding philosophy of Red Bull as an organisation. "A team has to invest enormously in an individual driver to make something like that work, and Red Bull does that better than anyone."
He drew on his own experience of signing for Red Bull to make the point. "When I signed for Red Bull at the time, I asked Dietrich Mateschitz what he expected from me, and he simply said: be yourself. That is exactly what Max does today." The culture that Mateschitz built and that has persisted through the team's transformation under Mekies remains one that centres on the driver rather than requiring the driver to centre on the team.
The Nurburgring Made It Clear
The specific trigger for Coulthard's certainty was watching Verstappen at the 24-hour race. The level of freedom Red Bull extended to him to pursue an endurance programme alongside a Formula 1 season, the trust that underpinned that arrangement, and the way Verstappen carried himself through the weekend all pointed in one direction. "Therefore we can actually just drop the speculation from a few weeks ago. As I see it now, Max simply stays at Red Bull Racing for the rest of his career."
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
A. Antonelli
C. Leclerc
982 members have this team as their favourite
Replies (0)
Login to reply