Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas says Max Verstappen is misunderstood by F1 fans.
The four time Formula 1 world champion is known for his ruthless performances on track, and straight-talking attitude out of the car, which has seen him divide the opinion of fans – especially during a fierce battle for the 2021 world title with British hero Lewis Hamilton. However when he’s with his team, Verstappen is just “one of the boys” according to one of his mechanics.
Calum Nicholas is a Senior Power Unit Assembly Technician at Red Bull Racing and spends every weekend of the season in the same box as Verstappen, but he believes the man team members know is completely different to the one portrayed in the media. Speaking the High Performance Podcast, Nicholas said: “I read people’s comments on social media and it’s absolutely clear that they just don’t get him.
“That’s fine, because luckily for him he’s just not worried about that. He probably sees them (the comments) but I don’t think that it has any impact on him. Max is very clear on why he’s there, what his job is and the task he’s set. With us, I honestly couldn’t speak highly enough of him. I’ve never idolised drivers and things like that, and it’s the same with Max. But he makes it easy. When we go out he’s just one of the boys. You can talk to him about absolutely anything; his interests and hobbies, stuff like that.
“There’s no façade with Max, he’s the same bloke Monday through Sunday. Every day he’s the same guy, you can be absolutely honest with him and he’ll be absolutely honest with you. For us it’s hard to appreciate that when you don’t have a personal relationship with him.
“But I don’t think there’s anyone out there who has spent real time with Max and had real conversations with him that would tell you he’s mean or whatever. That’s not him. He’s a very normal guy and I find his honesty refreshing. I like his honesty, I know it can upset people who expect a PR school answer from race drivers. I think we’re very lucky to have such an honest voice in the paddock.”
Nicholas also revealed the key to Verstappen’s self confidence, adding: “One of the things that Max has never been worried about is anyone going faster than him. He knows how skilled he is, and that’s a bit of a luxury for him. He knows if you can find a lap time then he can find a bit more. And I think that’s something he’s used to his advantage.”