(Motorsport-Total.com) – In an appearance on the High Performance Podcast, former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley was asked which driver he would like to work for. The Briton’s choice fell on four-time champion Max Verstappen – primarily because of his self-motivation and the urge to literally “humiliate” his opponents.
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“Because he is exactly my type of driver,” Smedley explains his choice. “He is a racer through and through.”
Smedley draws a comparison to business life: “I run my own company now. When you interview people and ask, ‘How much of a self-starter are you?’, it’s actually a ridiculous question. Who would answer, ‘I’m not a self-starter. I can’t do anything. You have to tell me what to do 24 hours a day’?”
Smedley: Verstappen is a “winning machine”
For Felipe Massa’s former engineer, the Red Bull star is the prime example of intrinsic motivation: “Max is the epitome of someone who brings his own motivation and drive every hour of every day. He is so motivated. He is a winning machine. He wants to win. He is so competitive. There is never even the slightest doubt.”
“Of course every driver wants to win,” Smedley admits. “But how much can they call upon that every hour, every day? How much can they motivate themselves to be the best? And not just to be the best, but to put a huge gap between themselves and the next best? Because that’s exactly what he wants.”
According to Smedley, it’s not enough for Verstappen to just be in front: “He finds that motivation somewhere – as if the gap to the next driver on the grid wasn’t big enough. He thinks to himself, ‘I need a bigger lead, I have to outdo myself and take the team with me.’ When you have someone like him on your side who is so self-motivated, it’s like a drug.”
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“The total package of a complete driver”
Smedley takes driving quality for granted: “You have to have the competence and the skill, that’s practically a given in Formula 1. But to have that certain extra bit of self-confidence, to be able to motivate yourself and the people around you – that’s what makes a complete driver for me.”
Career killer Max Verstappen? His teammates in Formula 1
After a difficult start to the 2025 season, Verstappen returned after the summer break with a surge in form and challenged Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the fight for the World Championship. Ultimately, he finished second in the overall standings behind Norris.
“He still wants it 110 percent. He wants it more than anyone else. It’s obvious,” Smedley continues. “Even if it’s probably painful for the other 19 drivers to hear: that’s the reason why he is so successful. Because he gets up every morning and delivers.”
Does Verstappen want to “humiliate” his opponents?
Smedley describes Verstappen as a driver who shows no weakness: “He is the classic driver where you give him an inch and he takes a mile. And what does that do to his competitors? It sets them back even further because he just keeps going. I’m sure most look at him and think, ‘Come on, Max. Just take a day off. Just one day. Please take a weekend off so the rest of us can have a turn.'”
But according to Smedley, that won’t happen: “He doesn’t do it because it’s not enough for him to just beat people. It’s almost like he wants to humiliate people. And I don’t mean that negatively or maliciously, but that’s what’s going on in his head. He is the ultimate fighter.”
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