Xevi Pujolar: “Max is a natural racer”
Published on 05 June 2015 by Mike Motilall
Breathtaking overtakes. Drop outs. Championship points. And a severe crash, at the previous race in Monaco. Xevi Pujolar, Max Verstappen’s dedicated race-engineer at Scuderia Toro Rosso, is speaking from experience by now when he says that “racing with Max is never dull”.
“With Max you know that somewhere, somehow, something can happen. He is a natural racer”, says Pujolar on RedBull.com.
After six races, Pujolar is more than pleased with the progression of the talented teenager, who has been teamed up with him this season at the Italian Formula 1-team. “Max is doing tremendously well”, Pujolar pleasingly assesses with an Italian cappuccino in his hand. “He is on a steep development curve. Firstly, he is real fast and believes in himself, but he works hard to be so. Max actually needs to keep carry on performing like this. Then his future will be very bright in Formula 1.”
Regularly Max Verstappen gets compared to big names like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and even Mozart by insiders, albeit the talents of the latter were in a complete different area. Pujolar understands the praise for the junior in the Red Bull-family, but is mostly happy that Max is someone who is not a push over. Apart from that, he has two parents who will keep him well grounded, if needed.
“All those compliments are nice and are an indication that he is doing well, but there is a risk when you, as a driver, start believing that all is going smoothly and start to lean back. Then you start losing your edge on others. But, once again, knowing Max, I don’t see that happening.”
When Max Verstappen was signed by Red Bull last year as a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, and subsequently signed a contract for a number of years with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Pujolar didn’t know his new protégé personally. He knew his name.
“Friends told me how extremely talented Max was. So that I knew already. But then, it’s still a matter of time to see how someone will cope in a Formula 1-car. Immediately after last season’s first Friday training, all doubts were gone. Of course, seventeen is very young, but his skills as a driver are of a very high level. Besides, he was experienced, albeit not in Formula 1. Because he is so talented, he grasps everything very quickly. Everything with Max comes naturally. There are a lot of drivers that are quick during a test, when there is no pressure, but then struggle to perform in a race. Max is best when racing. And that separates a driver from a potential World Champion. I mean, everyone in Formula 1 knows how to race, everyone is quick, but not everybody has that little extra. Max has.”
Pujolar switched from Williams to Scuderia Toro Rosso two years ago. It was time for a new challenge, as that is called. He found one in Max, he says with a smile. “Working with Max is a great opportunity, for me as well”, says the man who has worked in Formula 1 with the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Webber and Jean-Eric Vergne before. “My ambition is to make Scuderia Toro Rosso a successful team that can rival with the topteams, but I feel it a personal challenge to be successful together with Max. Max has a bright future and that makes it even a greater challenge for me to help him succeed.”
“When every race finishes, I tend to want to go straight on to the next one. He motivates everyone in the team. Everyone sees his talent. But also his way of racing. Max is an attacker and that is something that captivates your mind. Especially in an Italian team, where the people in the factory really have a passion for true racing. And Max is a true racer.”
Source: www.redbull.nl/maxverstappen
