Verstappen praised for being special: 'For me, that's his strength'

For years Xevi Pujolar saw it coming that Max Verstappen would one day win the world championship. In conversation with La Gazzetta dello Sport, the engineer, who worked with the Dutchman at Toro Rosso in the past, talks about Verstappen's successful season.

The 48-year-old Pujolar was surprised when he started working with Verstappen. While he had seen several great talents in his Formula 1 career, Verstappen was a very special driver and stood out. That opinion proved correct as Verstappen soon made the switch to Red Bull Racing, and he achieved real success.

"I'm not surprised," states Pujolar, who praises Verstappen's resilience. "For me, that is his strength: the ability to overcome himself, the resilience, the will not to give up and to fight until the end, to work hard to become number one. Since Max only wanted one thing: to prove he was the best."

Pujolar therefore believes that Verstappen deservedly won the world title. Although he believes that Hamilton should have been given the victory in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen was the better of the two over the whole season according to the engineer.