McLaren chief on Verstappen's success: 'He has a much bigger vision'
Photo: Race Pictures
A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
Arrow McLaren's team principal, Tony Kanaan, believes Max Verstappen's Formula 1 success is down not to just 'luck' or 'talent', but to his vision.
"And it's one of those things. It's not luck, it's not just pure talent. The guy has a much bigger vision than just like ' I know how to drive a race car.'"- Tony Kannan.
Photo: RacePictures.
The team principal of the Arrow McLaren Indycar team, thinks Verstappen is above the rest of the F1 drivers, likening what the Brazilian believes the Dutch driver is doing at Red Bull Racing, to what other F1 greats did at their teams in the past..
"The fact is he is way above a lot of the guys that are there, for some reason, and he makes it work," Kanaan said about Verstappen in the D
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"He's made the car for himself and [his success] is a combination of everything. I think we just could spend an hour talking about people that were like that in their careers in Formula 1, you know?
"Schumacher when he went to Ferrari, then Senna when he was at McLaren, and Hamilton at Mercedes."
Kanaan rules out 'luck' and 'pure talent.'
Kanaan refuse to reduce Verstappen's success in F1 down to factors such as fortune or his driving abilities alone. Instead he highlights the current world champion's vision as the key.
"And it's one of those things. It's not luck, it's not just pure talent. The guy has a much bigger vision than just like ' I know how to drive a race car'," he added.
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"He captivates the team, builds the car that he needs for himself, for himself. Doesn't take his teammate's opinion, doesn't care. It's just 'I'm her to do my job," Kanaan concluded.
Verstappen prompted FIA regulations overhaul
Laurent Mekies said Max Verstappen’s debut at 17 years of age led the FIA to overhaul its super license system, introducing a new points structure and a minimum age so such an early entry wouldn’t happen again.
Verstappen became the youngest F1 driver at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix and has since won four Drivers’ Championships and 68 races.
Read Mekies' full statements here.
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