Red Bull icon gives stunning 'complete' verdict in Sebastian Vettel vs Max Verstappen debate

Max Verstappen copies Sebastian Vettel with pit-lane overtake — Photo: © LAT Images

F1 Legends

Red Bull icon gives stunning 'complete' verdict in Vettel vs Verstappen debate

Both drivers excelled while with Red Bull

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 7 January 2024 19:57

Sebastian Vettel's former race engineer Guillame 'Rocky' Rocquelin believes that Vettel was the 'more complete' driver compared to Max Verstappen, when discussing the early stages of their careers.

Vettel won four consecutive world championship titles with Red Bull between 2010-2013, having first joined their sister team Toro Rosso as a 20-year-old in 2007.

Verstappen also raced for Toro Rosso in the early stages of his career, before stepping up into the Red Bull seat and claiming victory in his first ever race with the Milton Keynes-based team. He has since gone on to claim three world championships of his own.

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The 26-year-old's exploits in 2023 took him past Vettel in terms of race victories in the sport, but he still lacks a world championship to the German, who retired in 2022.

Max Verstappen has now won three consecutive world championships

Sebastian Vettel won four world championships in a row with the Red Bull team

Sebastian Vettel's first race victory came back in 2008

Vettel edge over Verstappen

Now, Rocky has said that there was a big difference between Vettel and Verstappen, having worked closely with them both at a young age.

“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.

“Max had maybe more natural talent, that’s what he relied on more. But Sebastian was the most complete."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso