Exclusive: What sets Max Verstappen apart from other F1 legends

Former F1 driver David Coulthard has detailed what sets Max Verstappen apart from other legends of the sport following his latest contract extension.

On the eve of his home grand prix last weekend, Verstappen and Red Bull confirmed they would continue their partnership until at least the end of the 2030 season.

It has put an end to speculation that Verstappen could switch to a rival team in the near future, having been speculated to do so over the last handful of months amid Red Bull's slip in the pecking order.

Verstappen has since labelled Red Bull as a “second family” and has hinted on several occasions that he may see out his F1 career with the team.

With the renewed faith in place, Coulthard highlighted that it will serve as a major boost for Red Bull and how other top talent on the grid will view the team.

“You get 80-odd people who go to a grand prix,” Coulthard exclusively told RacingNews365. 

“You've 2,000 people back at the factory. All they do is get a briefing on a Monday and read the magazines or websites the rest of the time.

“When you get that confirmation, it says to everybody 'what we are doing is right'. There are cycles in motor racing, no team wins all the time.

“When you look at where this project is with the powertrain, all of that, it's a very impressive, base from which to build. I said all along that Red Bull is the team that allows Max to be Max. 

“Other teams would potentially need him to do things that he's not willing or not comfortable to do, and therefore this was always going to be the place for him.

“People will want to work with him. There's always movement between teams, engineers go from one team to another, and designers and things like that.”

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Should Verstappen see out his contract with Red Bull, it would mark 15 seasons with the same team, smashing Lewis Hamilton's record of 12 years with Mercedes.

With four F1 titles to his name and over 70 grand prix wins, Verstappen is among some of the most successful drivers to ever compete in the sport.

But Coulthard believes he has unique differences in his personality compared to those who stood at the helm before him.

“He's got his own unique way of doing things, which is the thing that I think sets him apart,” he said.

“Ayrton [Senna] was very spiritual. Michael [Schumacher] was very Germanic. Lewis, it's a little bit keeping you at a distance. 

“There's a humbleness to the way that Max operates, which I find refreshing. 

“He doesn't bow to be something like, for example, when they launch the F1 movie, everyone's going there, and he goes, 'I don't have to go. Why would I want to go? I've seen the movie.

“He's doing what he wants to do, and he's earned the right to do what he wants to do. 

“To always have to be told 'you must do this, you must do that' - that's why he wouldn't fit in the short term with another team because they would at some point need him to do these things.”