“It's sad to see him leave” - Max Verstappen pays tribute to outgoing F1 boss

Max Verstappen recently spoke highly of AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost after he announced his retirement at the end of the 2023 F1 season. Since Verstappen was under him when he first joined F1 at Toro Rosso back in 2014, he has had a good relationship with Tost.

Speaking to Morotsport-Total.com, Max Verstappen explained how he worked with Franz Tost for over a year and how he was a massive help at the beginning of his career.

The Dutchman claims that AlphaTauri's team boss is great with young drivers, saying:

"I worked with Franz for over a year. Especially at the beginning of a career, it's important to have someone like Franz by your side. He helped me a lot at the beginning and supported me with his tips and his experience. He's good with young drivers."

Furthermore, Verstappen stated how Tost helped the main Red Bull team by developing several young drivers, including himself.

Lastly, the two-time world champion expressed that while the AlphaTauri team boss will be missed after he retires from the sport, he understands that Tost needs to spend more time with his family now.

Verstappen concluded by saying:

"When young drivers come [to Formula 1], they want to celebrate success quickly. It's good to be reassured once in a while. Talking to him helped me a lot. He discovered a lot of talent and helped develop the main team, so he had a great career. It's sad to see him go, but at some point after so many years in Formula 1 you just need more time for the family."

Franz Tost has been working in Formula 1 for 23 years, starting as a track operations manager at Williams in 2000.

In 2005, he was appointed team principal at Toro Rosso, and he remained in this position for 18 years. He is one of the longest-running team principals and is respected by everyone in the paddock.

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Max Verstappen is confident of Red Bull's race pace

Max Verstappen is confident that Red Bull's race pace is unprecedented. Although he stated that the RB19 is not the quickest over one lap during qualifying sessions, he believes that the sheer race pace of the car will allow him to easily overtake and dominate the race.

Furthermore, he also stated how Red Bull is also bringing new upgrades and trying to push the limits of the car, saying:

"I mean, I think we have a decent advantage, especially in the race. I think over one lap in some tracks, definitely some cars will be close or in front, like you could see in Baku. But yeah, that race pace advantage, I think is quite big at the moment. But yeah, it's not like, the others are bringing new bits and we're just standing still right. So hopefully we can just keep it going like we're doing now."

Max Verstappen is currently atop the drivers' championship table with 119 points. It is safe to say that he has the highest chance of winning the 2023 F1 title.