Graham Watson saw the enormous dose of talent in Max Verstappen early on. The recently retired AlphaTauri team manager, formerly Toro Rosso, worked with the Dutchman around his Formula 1 debut in 2015. Already during his first season in the premier class, Watson saw an appropriate selfishness in Verstappen, he says. Motorsport.com in the book Formula Max.
One of the highlights that the New Zealand team manager looks back on is the Singapore Grand Prix in Verstappen’s debut year. “In which he said ‘no’ and did not want to let his teammate pass. I saw very clearly the mentality of the Verstappens in that and I also saw that he is a real iron eater and would not shy away from anything or anyone.”
‘If you are not selfish, you will be eaten’
Watson saw Verstappen’s action as a good trait for a driver, despite the fact that ignoring team orders is not often liked by team managers. The mentality of the Limburger was immediately clear with the New Zealander. “It didn’t interest him at all who was in that other car,” he continues. “He just wanted to be world champion and unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, that’s exactly how you become world champion.”
According to Watson, a certain kind of selfishness is an important quality in racing. “You have to be a bit of a selfish person with the visor down,” he explains. “If you’re not, you’ll be eaten alive.” Verstappen is known for being a hard driver on the tarmac, something we saw several times during the 2021 title fight.
Opinions are somewhat divided on this, but Watson believes that Verstappen can measure up to other greats within Formula 1. “You can be quite nice, but with the helmet on you have to be ruthless. I have heard that Max goes too far in that.” but I think he fits right in with the other world champions.”
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