Waché: Verstappen gives Red Bull engineers exceptional feedback

Pierre Waché does not call Max Verstappen an engineer. Instead, Red Bull’s technical director says Verstappen can feel what the car is missing while driving and translate that sensation into feedback the engineers can understand. He can pinpoint exactly what needs to be faster, Waché says.

The feedback is distinctive in Waché’s experience: he says no other driver he has seen can provide engineers with the same kind of input. After a single lap, Verstappen can already tell where the car stands and where its limit lies, he says.

Waché and Verstappen have worked closely together since the driver joined Red Bull’s senior team in 2016. Waché was first a performance engineer and became the team’s technical director in 2018. He describes Verstappen as respectful of the team’s expertise and easy to work with.

Waché’s conclusion is emphatic: he considers Verstappen the best driver the sport has ever had.