Newey: "Raikkonen has never had the superiority that Verstappen does"

Adrian Newey has worked with many teams and drivers throughout his long career, but the Briton continues to be impressed by Max Verstappen. The designer sees a natural leader in the Dutchman, despite his age.

At 61, Newey can be called a real veteran in Formula 1, where he has helped to win many championships. The drivers he has worked with in the past were only a lot older than 22 year old Max Verstappen.

Yet the age of the Dutchman says very little about how he behaves, according to Newey. "You would never think he is only 22 when you look at how Max behaves on a circuit. During a race weekend he really is one of the leaders within the team. That shows that it's more important how long you do something than your actual age," the designer explains in the podcast of Motor Sport Magazine.

Newey refers to the many hours that Verstappen spent in a kart during his youth. "In terms of time on the track there is not even that much difference with drivers who started racing later and entered Formula 1 at a higher age".

No leader like Verstappen

The experienced Kimi Raikkonen is a good example of this when he joined the Sauber team as a 21-year-old rookie. "Kimi was a real rookie at the time. He wasn't able to lead a team or be the undisputed number one."

The designer should know, because in 2002 the Finn made the switch to McLaren, where Newey was working at the time. "Around the 2005 season he was the first driver on the team. But despite his age he didn't have the preponderance in the team that Max now has".