Max Verstappen's performance coach, Brad Scanes, is a regular fixture in the Dutchman's entourage these days, and attends all the Grands Prix on the calendar – but before they first met, Scanes was none the wiser as to who Verstappen was. Speaking on the PitStop podcast, Scanes explained how he first became involved with Verstappen, having previously been working with the gymnasts on Great Britain's athletics team. "I was a physiotherapist working with Team GB, working with the gymnasts in a performance centre in London, on Harley Street," said Scanes. "Then the job with Max came up. I knew a few people working in and around the F1 circuit, my name got mentioned, and then you just start to have a few conversations and the rest is history. "In 2019, I flew out after the season finale in Abu Dhabi to Barcelona, met Max and his family at the circuit where they were testing, and we just got on from there. "We chatted about few things, talked about becoming World Champion, and it was down to him to decide. "We hit it off quite quickly. I was there with his dad (ex-F1 driver Jos Verstappen) and chatting away with them, and I think that was the reason I probably got the job."
Scanes: I had to google who Max was
Having joined Verstappen's team, Scanes now had to familiarise himself with a world he previously had little interest in – even to the point of not knowing who his new employer was. "I was googling who Max Verstappen was at the airport whilst I was going to meet him!" said Scanes, who naturally enjoys a much closer relationship with the Dutchman these days. "You couldn't do this job if you weren't friends, because you spend that much time together. You travel together, you're in hotels together, so you have to get on with the person you're working with. "He's a good guy, really down to earth, likes being at home, spending time with family and friends. "We have a nice relationship in that we can go for a dinner, we can chat about football, we can sit down and watch the football, and play a bit of FIFA. It took me three years to beat him!"
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