Coulthard explains Verstappen wont care about Red Bull budget row

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Max Verstappen’s name should now sit alongside other F1 greats – because he’s ‘a winning machine.’ The bold statement was made by pundit and former driver David Coulthard who believes that the young Dutch ace has everything in place to carve out his own niche in the sport’s pantheon and ‘won’t care’ about the budget cap row because of having the ‘benefit’ of youth.

Verstappen wrapped up the title with four races to spare and heads to America this weekend having secured back-to-back world crowns. But Coulthard believes the 25-year-old should already be mentioned in the same breath as the most venerated drivers.

He said: “I was at a sponsor’s track day with Max last week – he looked chilled and happy. What struck me most is that he looked the same after winning the second title as he did the first.

“He’s a human being who doesn’t really respond to what people are saying about him, good or bad. His feet are planted firmly on the ground. But for me, the guy is up there with Hamilton, Senna, Schumacher – whoever your favourite driver from the past is – he’s a winning machine.

“Knowing his father, Jos, who I raced against, his manager Raymond, they have a brilliant structure around him. There is absolute clarity over who does what. Max gets on with training and driving.

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“I don’t want to say that he doesn’t care because he’s got his own voice but from what I’ve seen here is someone who is totally unaffected by what anyone thinks. He is a committed racing driver and when he’s not driving, he’s in the simulator or out e-gaming or whatever it is that he does.

“Whatever the cloud or the controversy over the FIA’s findings into the budget caps row, the benefit of youth is that you don’t know what you don’t know – and you don’t care, either. He’s 25 years old and no-one in the paddock – regardless of the manner in which those two titles were won – can say he doesn’t deserve it because he got lucky.”

This year’s championship has fizzled out into a one-horse race after Ferrari failed to build on their early-season promised and Mercedes proved incapable of regaining their stranglehold on the sport.

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Unlike last year, Red Bull breezed to victory with plenty to spare. Coulthard believes that with the friction over the budget caps and the jostling for position behind them, that next year’s could be a cracker.

He said: “Max obviously took a long-term view with Red Bull – similar to what Charles Leclerc has done with Ferrari – they have both made their beds.

“I was amazed to hear Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff say that Lewis is thinking of going another five years which was brilliant to hear for us because he’s been a benchmark for so long now.

“The fact that he’s a seven-time champion and so motivated and on it, Mercedes will undoubtedly unlock their potential in these regulations so they are pretty well set up. Imagine if we had Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes going toe-to-toe in next year’s World Championship – that would progress, that would be fantastic.”

David Coulthard is presenting F1 Grand Prix highlights on C4

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