The former Red Bull head of racing engineering assessed the similarities and differences between the team’s two world-champion talents.
Guillaume Rocquelin, known colloquially as “Rocky”, was Sebastian Vettel’s race engineer during the German driver’s four titles between 2010 and 2013.
Rocquelin was promoted to the team’s head of race engineering from 2015 until ’22, taking in Max Verstappen’s early years with the team before his rise to clinch his maiden titles in ’21 and ’22.
Now overseeing Red Bull’s driver academy, there are very few better placed to compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the two dominant Red Bull champions who have crushed the opposition during title years.
Intriguingly, Rocquelin believes Verstappen still has some critical weaknesses in comparison to Vettel.
“I think Sebastian was a more complete driver than Max when he came to our team,” Rocquelin said on Eurosport France’s Les Fous du Volant podcast.
“On a professional, technical, mediation level… he was trained at the [Michael] Schumacher school, he was his idol. He asked a lot of questions, took a lot of notes, and when he came up with us, he was very rigorous. It’s no coincidence that he won several titles. He was better prepared technically and mentally.
“Maybe Max had a more herbal talent, that’s what he trusted more. But Sebastián was the complete maximum.
“Max has been a ‘boss’. He has wonderful self-confidence, knows what he needs, and is very straightforward.
“But I’ll be honest: Max is technically weak compared to the other drivers we’ve worked with. I think he still has a lot of room to mentalize. He is a leader in his attitude and in his results. But I think he can from a technical point of view and in the way he develops the car. “
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But, while Verstappen may lag behind Vettel in that area – according to Rocquelin – the Dutch driver’s performance level has shown no signs of inconsistency or a hint of dipping.
“What has struck me most is that he has somehow lost that ‘desperate hunger’ he had last year,” said Rocquelin.
“He’s matured. It’s more consistent. Winning the championship gave him a lot of confidence and he drives differently. “
“You can’t necessarily communicate about just one trigger. It’s a slow thing, there have been several steps. He came to F1 at a very young age, with a lot of ambition and not necessarily the adulthood that comes with it. And he with Toro Rosso, which perhaps had less reach and experience.
“Then those steps started when he arrived at Red Bull. There was more confidence in the team, a smart track record, he was closer to his goal. Without delay he won a race with us, which allowed him to take a step forward. Gradually, he won more and more races and developed a bond with his engineers. “
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