Red Bull mechanic was astonished by Verstappen: 'Holy moly, where did he come from?

17:17, 08 Aug

byCas van de Kleut

Max Verstappen drove his 200th Grand Prix for Red Bull Racing in Hungary. Ole Schack has been working with the now four-time world champion since the arrival of the Dutchman at the Austrian racing stable. In a conversation with De Telegraaf, Verstappen's No. 2 mechanic shared his fondest memory of working with the 4-time world champion

Schack began: “Naturally, victories and championships are enormous highlights, but I also immediately think of the race in Brazil in 2016."

"A wet race. At one point we chose the wrong tyres and Max fell all the way back to the last place, only to end up third."

"It's not always wins that stand out to me. That's when you saw the true racer Max Verstappen. I think even more than in dominant times, when he, for example, took the victory with a half-minute lead.”

Verstappen's mechanic stunned by the Dutch F1 champion

The Dane then pointed to the moment when Verstappen won his first race in Barcelona: “When he came in, Daniel Ricciardo was the more experienced driver. But Max got in, was right up there, and won the race on Sunday. I thought: 'Holy moly, where does he come from?' "

"Truly a remarkable personality and driver. He has the mental strength to joke around and as soon as he puts on the helmet, be fully turned on."

"And at the moments when you as a driver have to show your balls – sorry for my language – then Max is always there.”

Max Verstappen in Hungary - Red Bull Contentpool

Sauber team boss Jonathan Wheatley also pointed out another, more recent moment with Verstappen. The former sporting director of Red Bull Racing mentioned the Dutchman's first title, which he won in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021. According to the Brit, he still gets goosebumps from the moment Verstappen crossed the finish line first.