Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen reminds Formula 1 director for motorsports Ross Brawn of F1 great Michael Schumacher, the former Ferrari technical director said after the Dutchman won the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone. Verstappen started at fourth on the grid and managed to beat the dominant Mercedes cars to the finish line.
"Max was simply sensational at Silverstone. He reminds me of Michael Schumacher in many ways. When you listen to his radio, he's clearly got spare capacity," Brawn told the Formula 1 website.
"The limit of the car is not the limit of Max Verstappen. He is able to feel the subtlety of the car and respond perfectly. I remember Max's early days in Formula One where his speed was clear -- he has now matured into an exceptional racing driver.
"I loved his radio, particularly when he said he didn't want to 'drive like a grandma' when the team asked him to manage his tyres. It shows huge confidence and a relationship in the team, which is very strong."
Brawn was team principal at Benetton in 1994 and 1995 and later headed Ferrari between 2000 and 2004 during which Schumacher had won his seven world championship titles driving for both teams. The duo also worked together when Schumacher made his comeback with Mercedes of which Brawn was team principal between 2010 and 2012.