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Toto Wolff and Max Verstappen haven’t exactly been best friends over the last few years, but it seems the Mercedes boss has officially bent the knee to the Red Bull superstar.
A fresh excerpt from Sky Sports reporter Rachel Brookes’ book, F1 Racing: Drive, has just hit the timeline. As highlighted by the fan account MV33Racing back on X, Wolff didn’t hold back his admiration for the World Champion, admitting that Verstappen possesses a lethal combination of traits that is “not easy to replicate”.
According to Wolff, Verstappen is the ultimate Formula One experiment gone perfectly right. “Max is a case of where nature meets nurture,” Wolff stated in the book. He pointed out the massive biological advantage of Verstappen’s genetics, noting that both his mother and his father raced competitively at an incredibly high level.
Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Torger Christian Toto Wolff Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 walks through the track entrance before the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
But raw speed isn’t enough on its own. Wolff acknowledged that it was the relentless, highly dedicated environment Verstappen was raised in that turned him into an absolute machine.
In fact, Toto dropped a massive compliment regarding those early years, revealing that if you “talk to karting people today, and they say he was the greatest of all time”. Hearing the Mercedes team boss openly admit his biggest rival is considered the undisputed GOAT of the karting world is a major shift in tone.
While the praise for Max is a great headline, the absolute best part of Wolff’s quote is the ridiculously savage stray bullet he fired at the very end.
Discussing wasted potential, Wolff added: “There are some who had a great nature but never nurtured themselves, and they could have been multiple world champions. But only managed it once.”
Hold up. Who exactly is Toto throwing under the bus here? There is a very short list of incredibly talented, naturally gifted drivers who “only managed it once.” Was that a subtle, ruthless dig at his former driver, Nico Rosberg, who famously retired immediately after winning the 2016 title because the intense nurture and workload became too much? Or perhaps a shot at Kimi Räikkönen’s notoriously relaxed, anti-nurture approach to his career?
Either way, Toto Wolff just reminded the entire F1 paddock that raw talent gets you a trophy, but the grueling work is what builds a dynasty.
Continue reading...
A fresh excerpt from Sky Sports reporter Rachel Brookes’ book, F1 Racing: Drive, has just hit the timeline. As highlighted by the fan account MV33Racing back on X, Wolff didn’t hold back his admiration for the World Champion, admitting that Verstappen possesses a lethal combination of traits that is “not easy to replicate”.
Is Verstappen the Perfect Racing Blueprint?
According to Wolff, Verstappen is the ultimate Formula One experiment gone perfectly right. “Max is a case of where nature meets nurture,” Wolff stated in the book. He pointed out the massive biological advantage of Verstappen’s genetics, noting that both his mother and his father raced competitively at an incredibly high level.
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Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Torger Christian Toto Wolff Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 walks through the track entrance before the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
But raw speed isn’t enough on its own. Wolff acknowledged that it was the relentless, highly dedicated environment Verstappen was raised in that turned him into an absolute machine.
In fact, Toto dropped a massive compliment regarding those early years, revealing that if you “talk to karting people today, and they say he was the greatest of all time”. Hearing the Mercedes team boss openly admit his biggest rival is considered the undisputed GOAT of the karting world is a major shift in tone.
Wait, Who Was That Stray Bullet For?
While the praise for Max is a great headline, the absolute best part of Wolff’s quote is the ridiculously savage stray bullet he fired at the very end.
Discussing wasted potential, Wolff added: “There are some who had a great nature but never nurtured themselves, and they could have been multiple world champions. But only managed it once.”
Hold up. Who exactly is Toto throwing under the bus here? There is a very short list of incredibly talented, naturally gifted drivers who “only managed it once.” Was that a subtle, ruthless dig at his former driver, Nico Rosberg, who famously retired immediately after winning the 2016 title because the intense nurture and workload became too much? Or perhaps a shot at Kimi Räikkönen’s notoriously relaxed, anti-nurture approach to his career?
Either way, Toto Wolff just reminded the entire F1 paddock that raw talent gets you a trophy, but the grueling work is what builds a dynasty.
Continue reading...
