Red Bull's Formula 1 Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan has denied suggestions made by Sebastian Vettel's former engineer Guillaume Rocquelin that Max Verstappen is 'technically weak.' Rocquelin made the observation that Vettel was a more complete driver than Verstappen and that the Dutch driver was "technically weak" when compared to other drivers he had worked with. This claim was refuted by Monaghan who defended Verstappen's technical knowhow and application - who also stuck up for Rocquelin.
Monaghan on Verstappen
"It was a poor translation of an interview from a colleague of mine, it was a little bit misquoted," Monaghan told media, including RacingNews365.com. "Max is extremely technically gifted - he did a lot of work as a youngster, often guided by his father. "You can see the legacy of that as he knows what he is talking about within the car, and he knows what he wants. "With his engineers, they know how to deliver a car that is nicely balanced, easy to drive, drivable but looks after its tyres well enough that he can manage a situation. "If you look at his record with us over the past few seasons, it has been stunning. He wouldn't have achieved that if he wasn't an exceptional driver. "Can he improve? Of course he can - he might not thank me for saying that - but I think there are areas he can get a little better. "He'll dig into himself to think what he could do better in a season, and then it is up to us to give a car to go and demonstrate those skills next year."
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