Rocquelin compares Vettel and Verstappen's Red Bull debut

Two pilots, two similar trajectories. Sebastian Vettel et Max Verstappen, two great talents from the sector Red Bull, each won their world titles with the Austrian team, after starting in the sister team, Toro Rosso. Two similar destinies which marked two periods of domination for the German between 2010 and 2013, and for the Dutchman since 2021. One of the witnesses behind the scenes of these dazzling progressions is Guillaume Rocquelin. The Burgundian was first the race engineer for the four-time world champion, then director of engineering at Red Bull before taking the reins of the Junior Team this season.

Interviewed in the show Les Fous du Volant on Eurosport, the French engineer remembered the beginnings of the two rough diamonds within the Red Bull team. According to the Frenchman, it was Vettel who impressed him the most when he arrived at the team. “I think Sebastian [Vettel] was a more complete driver than Max [Verstappen] when he came to us, confides Guillaume Rocquelin. At the professional level, technique, mediation… He was trained at school Schumacher who was his idol. He asked a lot of questions, took a lot of notes and when he arrived at our house, he was very thorough. It is no coincidence that he has won several titles. He was more prepared technically, mentally, etc. I think maybe Max had more natural talent, that's what he relied on the most. But Sebastian was the most complete. »

« Max is technically weak compared to other drivers » confides Rocquelin

Sebastian Vettel, who became world champion in his second season with Red Bull, imposed his domination for 4 years. Guillaume Rocquelin, his race engineer at that time, remembers an outstanding tunemaker, who sometimes caused him certain mishaps. “Max looks at his teammate's data and even if he doesn't do it a lot, he knows what he wants and what's important. Sebastian checked all the details, even those that didn't matter. I think at one point it was to his detriment. He spent a little too much time looking at unimportant things. It was a very different approach. »

In his new role as head of the Red Bull Junior Team, which allows him to take a step back from the activity F1, the French engineer also gave his opinion on the start of the Verstappen era. If he recognizes that the double world champion has “gained maturity” and “consistency”, he admits that the Dutchman still has plenty of room for improvement in the feedback given to his team. “Max has always been a boss. He has enormous self-confidence, he knows what he wants and he is very direct. But I'll be honest, Max is technically weak compared to other drivers we've worked with, reveals Guillaume Rocquelin. I think he still has a lot of progress to make. He is a leader through his attitude and his results. But I think he can improve from a technical point of view and in the way of developing the car. »

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