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Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel have the ability to add an extra couple of tenths to the performance of the car, and this separates them from everybody else on the F1 grid. This is the view of Dan Fallows, Aston Martin's technical director.
Fallows has worked with all three of these multiple world champions at different times in his career. He worked with both Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel when he was a Red Bull employee, and he currently works with Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin.
Talking about these exceptional talents, Fallows felt that what made all three of Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso stand out was their ability to extract something extra from the car.
Talking about these drivers on the F1 Nation podcast, Fallows said:
"They have that ability to add that extra couple of tenths to the performance of the car. I don't really know where that comes from, that's a sort of raw talent. But the one thing that they all certainly have in common is their ability to describe how the cars behave."
He added:
"It's not unique to the greatest drivers that we've seen, but it's certainly something they all share, is that ability to get in the car and say with very great precision exactly where they could go faster if you change the behavior of the car."
"I need this": What sets Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen, and Sebastian Vettel apart
Further accentuating his point, Fallows said that what separates these three drivers from the rest is their ability to pinpoint issues, which makes it easier for the engineers to find solutions to them.
He said:
"I think that's a really key thing. I think a lot of drivers can explain how the car is behaving or [say if they've] got a bit of oversteer here and a bit of understeer there and this is how the tyre changed, and so on."
He added:
"But the really great ones – and it is definitely a common theme – are the ones who can say, 'You know what, I've got understeer here but, to go quicker, I need you to fix this corner. I need this.' That's the thing that sets them apart, I think."
For years, Fallows had been a Red Bull employee and worked with Max Verstappen. Him working with Fernando Alonso now would be an interesting contrast for him.
