How can Verstappen be so fast while braking very early?

As a former team manager, Pete Windsor has seen a lot of drivers and has coached many of them. He names four points where you can distinguish the top driver and explains why Max Verstappen is so fast.

The statistics of F1

Over the past few years, we've been getting more and more data on display from AWS. Whether it is about the qualification speed, the cornering speed or the braking point. The observant viewer might have noticed that Verstappen often brakes earlier than his teammate Sergio Perez, while people always think you should brake as late as possible.

''It's an interesting statistic. How can Verstappen be so fast while braking so early? In almost all data Verstappen brakes earlier than Perez, while the normal perception is that you should brake early and get on the gas early. Verstappen, however, shows that he has a very different approach to that'', says Windsor in his new video.

Verstappen brakes early

Windsor lists four points that can help you recognize a top driver. It's about being able to 'short' a corner, having soft input when steering, having the feeling to create the right platform to do the next thing with the car, and really manipulating the car. According to Windsor, Verstappen does all these points.

''Max brakes at exactly the right time during every corner and every lap. He feels his car exactly and knows exactly what he needs to do to achieve his goal. Sergio Perez is more likely to think about how late he can brake without blocking his wheels to be as fast as possible, and that's true of most drivers. But Max doesn't think that way. He determines that per lap and per corner, and just feels how to tackle that corner'', concludes Windsor.

Watch the complete video of the Formula 1 analyst below: