Former F1 team boss says Max Verstappen “would win even with a tractor”
High praise for Max Verstappen from his former boss.
Ex-AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has joked that Max Verstappen is so quick that he could win a Formula 1 race driving a tractor.
Tost cited Verstappen’s speed in Emil Frey Racing’s Ferrari 296 GT3 at Portimao as proof that he can outperform the competition in any machinery.
Asked if the four-time champion’s recent F1 results are down to having a car that has been tailored to his style by Red Bull, Tost told Sport1: “Max Verstappen would win even with a tractor!
“For example, last year Max did a test with a Ferrari GT race car. He was immediately two seconds faster than the rest. Max has a feel for speed, incredible vision, incredible vehicle control, and an incredible feel for a car – no matter which one.
“He would therefore immediately get along with any Formula 1 car. Of course, he will then fine-tune the car to best suit his driving style.”
Tost has identified two key strengths of Verstappen, as the Dutchman begins to stake his claim among the greatest F1 drivers of all time.
“Max is a very special driver. Firstly, his natural speed is superior to the others. And secondly, he is so mentally strong that he can implement his supernatural talent at the decisive moment. That is what makes him so superior,” he said.
Tost’s team Toro Rosso ran Verstappen in F1 in 2015 and the early part of 2016, with the then-teenager scoring two top-five finishes with the Faenza-based squad before graduating to Red Bull.
However, Tost said he knew Verstappen was destined for great things even before he had stepped into a formula car in the European F3 in 2014.
“He already stood out in karting, at the European Championship,” recalled the Austrian, who remains a consultant for Red Bull.
“Then came the rainy Formula 3 race at the Norisring. Max drove so confidently that it seemed as if the others were parked.
“That reminded me of Michael Schumacher, who was just as dominant in a rainy Formula Ford race at the Salzburgring in 1987. I was working for [Schumacher’s] future manager, Willi Weber, at the time and immediately told him: ‘You have to take him. You can't go wrong!’”
