Departing mainstay in Verstappen confession: 'Had no idea who Max was'

Max Verstappen's former fitness coach has conceded he "didn't know" who the Dutchman was when he linked up with the three-time World Champion.

Bradley Scanes joined Verstappen's team at the end of 2019 and has been alongside the Red Bull driver throughout his championship triumphs.

Speaking to The Red Flags podcast, Scanes revealed: "Before I started working with Max, I didn't really know anything about motorsport and Formula One. I didn't even know who Max Verstappen was.

"I googled a lot to read myself in, to keep track of everything. I knew Hamilton was successful, but that was about all. The first F1 race I watched was in the Red Bull garage with the mechanics.

"In December 2019, I met Max and in the second week of January, I started working with him. In the meantime, all of December, I watched and read everything loose and loose about F1. Everything I could think of."

On his first meeting with Verstappen, Scanes added: "I talked to some different people around him and then I was told I would fly to Barcelona the next day to meet him. 'Wait, I have 15 patients tomorrow!'

"After some shuffling then you just leave for Barcelona, you just have to do that. So I flew to Barcelona, where Max was at the circuit testing some GT cars. His whole family was there: his girlfriend, his father and his friends. It was very open, we found out what we expected from each other and we immediately got along well. So we talked about soccer and other sports.

"I didn't think I would get the job, but I thought 'let's try.' I said to Max, 'I already have a world title in my pocket, how do we make sure we get you one?' How are we going to build further and how are we going to make it happen?' I think he liked that!"

Honest and direct

Verstappen's interaction with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has garnered plenty of interest in recent years with the relationship described as being like a 'married couple' by Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.

Giving his advice for getting along with Verstappen, Scanes explained: "Being easy going, being honest and direct, being trustworthy, being loyal.

"That defines the Verstappens and the group around them. Everyone says the Dutch are very direct, but in top sport you have to be open, you have to be honest with each other there. So I was already used to that."

Scanes has now left Verstappen's side, with focus now placed on spending time with his family given the ever-increasing F1 schedule.