Source: REUTERS/JEAN CARNIEL
[Saba Sports News] As one of the most legendary design masters in F1 history, Adrian Newey has worked with numerous top drivers: from Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, to Mika Hakkinen and Sebastian Vettel, and now Max Verstappen. Recently, in a podcast interview, Newey rarely placed Senna and Verstappen side-by-side as exceptional drivers, recalling his brief but profound encounter with Senna and expressing genuine admiration for Verstappen’s mental fortitude. Records show that Newey joined the Williams F1 team in the early 1990s, helping Mansell win the world championship in 1992. He later created multiple successful seasons with the McLaren F1 team and Red Bull Racing, contributing to a total of 26 world championship titles. Newey recalled leading the newly signed Senna on a tour of the team headquarters. When visiting the wind tunnel lab, Senna immediately crouched down to closely examine the rear suspension structure, persistently asking: Why is it designed this way? What is the function of this part? Newey revealed that Senna’s acute attention to detail required his full concentration to answer. Years later, he sees the same traits in the extraordinary talent Verstappen. No matter what happens off the track, the moment Verstappen puts on his helmet and gets into the car, all noise is blocked out, and he becomes completely focused on the race. This kind of talent is extremely rare in any athlete.