Did you know Formula 1 photographers can do more than just capture stunning moments on the track? Yup, their photos can even help drivers with their success in the races. Photographer Frits van Eldik recently revealed how his photo helped the current F1 champion, Max Verstappen, win the race.

[Related reading: Here’s what it’s like to be a Formula 1 photographer]

Frits van Eldik has a long-standing connection to Max Verstappen and his father, Jos. Speaking with the host at the DRS: The Race Show podcast, he shared that his role as a trackside photographer gives him an exceptional vantage point… And it’s not just useful for capturing incredible images. It also allows him to offer valuable insights to the drivers.

“I think the most important thing is that you are taken seriously in the world, also in terms of information provision,” the photographer says, as quoted by F1 Maximaal. “If I see something that I think matters, I will always pass it on to a driver, at least if I like them,” he adds. “You only have to sell nonsense once and then no one will take you seriously anymore.”

How van Eldik’s photos helped Max Verstappen

“You have to make sure you always come up with the right things and say: pay attention to this, or pay attention to that,” the photographer continues.

“I even had it with Max early in his career where I said: I see off the track that your teammate is doing this, and you are doing that. I don’t know what the difference is. Then, a day later, he was super-fast, and then he walked by with a picture because I had pictures of that corner, and then he said: see? Is it okay now? That’s just funny, but I just want to be taken seriously as a photographer, but also as a person and as an expert on the game.”

Speaking at the DRS: The Race Show podcast, van Eldik predicted that Max would become world champion again. However, he added that he hoped that Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso would be right behind.

“I hope that it is a little closer together, and that there is a little more struggle. I don’t think Max needs to win every race. I think it’s great what he does, but I think he would secretly like a little more excitement.”

So, maybe he’ll also help Nando and Lando with his photos in the following races?

About Frits van Eldik

Born in the Netherlands in 1969 as the garage owner’s son, Frits van Eldik grew up surrounded by cars. Interestingly enough, his father was a hobbyist photographer and Frits “was impressed by the pictures that showed up on a piece of paper when you dropped it in some kind of liquid in the dark room.”

When Frits was very young, he decided to merge his passion for cars and photography and pursue it as a career. He began by taking pictures of rally races in the early years of his profession and frequently visited Zandvoort Circuit to learn how to capture the speed and motion of the cars through photography.

Frits used to work for a specialized automotive picture agency in the Netherlands. After seven years, he decided to start his own company. In 1989, he photographed his first Formula 1 Grand Prix. By 1994, he regularly shot all the F1 races throughout the season. He has been to hundreds of races and shot different motorsports: Formula 1, the Le Mans races, MotoGP, and, as he says, “everything else that moves fast.”

[via PetaPixel; Image credits: Morio, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons (left), Alberto-g-rovi, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (right)]