Why Verstappen has signed a McLaren F1 junior

While Max Verstappen himself has been heavily linked with McLaren in recent weeks, on Thursday morning he made an intriguing announcement that connects the two parties in a very different way.

Verstappen has entered into a partnership with Belgian talent Dries Van Langendonck, who is currently competing in British Formula 4. Van Langendonck is a McLaren junior and Verstappen immediately stressed in Spa that his new protege will remain one.

Alongside his McLaren programme, Verstappen Racing will mainly support Van Langendonck in two other areas on a path that should ideally lead to Formula 1.

What the Verstappen deal means

To begin with, the Verstappen group will take over Van Langendonck’s management, with Raymond Vermeulen as the key figure to handle that side of things.

In that respect, Thursday’s announcement is noteworthy. Apart from Verstappen himself, 'Team Verstappen' has so far not managed any other driver, naturally excluding Raymond’s son Thierry Vermeulen. Van Langendonck is the first outside driver to be represented by the Verstappen camp.

Autosport understands that several drivers have asked Vermeulen in the past whether he would be willing to manage them, but he had never previously taken up such an opportunity.

It underlines that Verstappen sees something special in Van Langendonck, something he also stressed during his Dutch media session at Spa.

Asked by Autosport whether this was an exceptional case or whether, like Fernando Alonso, he would eventually like to manage more drivers, Verstappen replied: "I would only do it with drivers in whom I genuinely see great potential. Drivers this good do not come along every year. That is why Dries is really the first one for me. He definitely has a lot of potential to succeed."

Van Langendonck is the first outside driver to be represented by the Verstappen camp

Photo by: Rodin Motorsport

It helps that Van Langendonck is no stranger to Verstappen. Their connection goes back years, as do the ties between the two families.

"Yes, it goes back a long way. Dries’ father knew my father, and they were also good friends through the Pex family," Verstappen said, referring to the Pex family, with whom the Verstappens have maintained close ties since their karting days.

"At some point it simply came up in our conversations. Dries was karting, and naturally you keep a close eye on those things. You start talking and eventually you arrive where we are now."

As far as the management side is concerned, the deal has two components: career guidance and financial backing. Verstappen confirmed at Spa that he is willing to invest in the Belgian’s career.

"We do what is necessary," Verstappen explained. "Of course, he is with McLaren and they also contribute to the budgets. But some of the budgets in Formula 3 and Formula 2 are quite high. It depends, we will see. Those [investments] are obviously one of the reasons why we are working together now."

But alongside the financial side of the arrangement, Verstappen says it is also about making the right choices in the junior categories below F1.

"Ultimately, Dries is the one in the car who has to deliver. Around that, together with McLaren of course, because he is part of their junior programme, we try to provide the right guidance and make the right decisions," he said.

"You often see wrong choices being made in the junior categories, where a driver ends up with the wrong team. In that case, you obviously cannot show your talent, so those choices are important."

Verstappen wants to help Van Langendonck with choosing the right teams in Formula 3 and Formula 2

Photo by: Rodin Motorsport

Verstappen’s role as a driver coach: “Dries has something special”

Besides the management side, there is also a second pillar: driver coaching. That is the area in which Verstappen himself will be most closely involved and from which he gains the most satisfaction.

He has repeatedly said that he wants to guide young talent, including helping drivers such as Chris Lulham make the transition from sim racing to real-world GT racing: "Then there is the preparation in the simulator and the technical knowledge as well. Those are all things I try to help Dries with and support him in."

The Verstappen Racing simulators are located in the Dutch city of Tilburg, where Van Langendonck can use them as part of his preparations.

The aim of combining both elements – taking over his management and providing driver coaching – is clear: to help the Belgian talent reach the top.

"The goal is Formula 1, so we’re just going to try and help him achieve that," the four-time F1 world champion added. "Hopefully by making the right decisions in terms of where he has to race, what he has to do, and just try to give him more and more experience."

The comparison between Van Langendonck and what Verstappen himself was like at that age strengthens the four-time world champion’s belief that the Flemish driver has the potential to reach F1: "He’s very good for a 15-year-old. Compared to myself when I was 15, he’s very, very good at the same age."

As well as Vermeulen’s management, the 15-year-old Belgian can also count on driving coaching from Verstappen

Photo by: Rodin Motorsport

Even so, Verstappen does not want to compare his protege with himself, as that would create additional pressure and, according to Verstappen, would make little sense because every person is different.

"Nobody has to be like someone else. Everyone has to do it in their own way, and that is exactly what makes this project so exciting for me," Verstappen said. "Everyone has their own character, and that is a good thing. If everyone were the same, it would be boring.

"I have obviously gained a lot of experience throughout my career, and now I try to pass that on to him and share it in this way."