Max Verstappen reveals fascinating driver management approach

Max Verstappen has revealed his fascinating approach to driver management, with the four-time world champion overseeing several drivers as part of his GT team and Team Redline, the simulator outfit with which he has a close partnership.

A day off is a rarity for Verstappen, who, when he is not racing in Formula 1, is either competing in GT machinery, racing on a simulator, or managing Verstappen.com Racing.

It is one of the fastest-rising GT teams, with Verstappen heavily involved in the management of its younger drivers, one of whom he revealed has been signed from a simulator background.

Verstappen’s approach to managing his drivers is based on the belief that improvement is always possible, with him making it clear that even after a victory for Red Bull in F1, he still assesses a Grand Prix to see what he could have done better.

For the 28-year-old, he wants his young drivers to have the mentality of always wanting to "find more" performance, whether that comes from themselves, the team, or their rivals.

Asked what advice he gives to the drivers he manages, Verstappen told the Pirelli Box Box Box podcast: "Oh, this can be a lot of different things. In general, you’re working with drivers who are just a lot more inexperienced, right? Now this year, for example, is the first year that I brought one of my sim drivers into the real world, so it’s a big learning curve.

"But at the same time, we entered knowing — I said, I know this is a learning year, but we still compare ourselves with the best. We don’t go in there and just accept that P10 is a great result, for example. We still always look back at the weekend, comparing ourselves to the best, because that’s the target. That’s where we need to work towards, right? That’s, of course, working towards how the drivers are, how the teams are operating.

"Of course, we take our class wins here and there; it’s nice. It’s a good little boost for the drivers as well. But yeah, after every weekend, you come back and analyse the things that can still be done better, even when you think you had a good weekend. And that’s always, I think, what I try to tell them: you can have a good weekend, you can feel happy with yourself, but you always have to look at things you can improve.

"Because even if I win in Formula 1, yes, it’s a great weekend, but there are always things you look at and think, if we tried this or did that, would it have made a difference? How can we find more? You never stop learning. You always want to be better, basically, and that’s what I apply to the drivers, and to the team in general. When you think, ‘Oh, I’m happy with the car, we did a great job,’ sure — but how can you find more?"