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Lawson indirectly warned about Verstappen: 'It takes a toll on you'
- Savannah Lenz
Calum Nicholas is one of the better known Red Bull Racing mechanics and on the Road to Success podcast with Ben Fowler, he shares his opinion on Max Verstappen and the second Red Bull seat, explaining why it is so hard to drive alongside the now four-time world champion.
Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas praises 'killer' Verstappen
On the topic of the ever-changing second seat at Red Bull Racing, Nicholas said, "I think when you are up against someone as talented as Max and who can make it all look so effortless, that takes its toll."
"When you come back to the garage being like 'yeah, I nailed that lap', and then Max goes out and finds a tenth and a half on you after a while, that s*** going to wear you down," Nicholas continued.
Nicholas himself says it's very hard to understand how vicious Verstappen is in the car because he is the complete opposite outside of it. "Max is so open and honest; he's just a really bloke, so it's hard to understand that there is such a killer in him. As soon as he closes his helmet, he is going to kick your a**."
But when does the 'killer instinct' come into play? Nicholas explains: "Max feels you are trying back him into a corner, or you are trying to ruin his day or his week when he feels you are against him, he will show you how good he is."
"I think Brazil was a perfect example of that. We knew Max loved the rain anyway, but it was a tough weekend. It felt like everything was against us. You could clearly see his reaction after qualifying; the flags all seemed like they were planned to go against you. Sometimes you have those weeks where it seems like everything is against you, but that's when you tend to get the best out of everyone in the garage," Nicholas concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Nicole Mulder.
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