For the past six years, finding someone to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull has been a persistent problem. However, the recent replacement of Liam Lawson after only two races is an unusually quick decision, even for Red Bull, known for its high standards.
Yuki Tsunoda is now the latest driver to take on what is widely considered one of the most challenging positions in Formula 1. Liam Lawson will return to Racing Bulls, where the team hopes he can regain his confidence.
Lawson was considered as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez over the winter break. Perez`s difficulties in the car had significantly hindered Red Bull`s chances of defending their Constructors` Championship title.
Despite Perez`s four seasons with Red Bull, he rarely consistently matched Verstappen`s performance. Before Perez, Alex Albon had an 18-month stint, and Pierre Gasly lasted only half a season.
This raises the question: why is it so difficult to be Verstappen`s teammate?
Verstappen`s Unique Driving Style
One theory suggests that Red Bull designs and sets up their car to specifically suit Verstappen`s driving style, which may contribute to his teammates` struggles.
Some drivers prefer a car that tends to understeer, while others favor oversteer. Verstappen prefers oversteer and wants the car to turn sharply at the beginning of corners.
Ideally, a race car would have neither oversteer nor understeer, but Formula 1 cars usually exhibit one or both of these characteristics.
“I like a car that is responsive at the front but with a rear that is stable enough to maintain control,” Verstappen explained about his driving style.
“I prefer a strong front end. I really dislike understeer; it ruins the car`s feel. A sharp front end with a rear that`s right on the edge is what I want, but you still need to be able to rely on the rear.”
Albon was Verstappen`s teammate in late 2019 and throughout 2020. While Verstappen was competing with Mercedes, Albon struggled to reach Q3 in qualifying and often had to fight his way through the field to score points.
In a 2023 interview on the High Performance Podcast, Albon used a video game analogy to describe his experience driving alongside Verstappen at Red Bull.
“Firstly, many believe the car is built around him, like Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, with the team structured to his preferences,” Albon stated.
“The reality is, the car`s design is what it is, and he`s incredibly fast. He has a unique driving style that isn`t easily adaptable for others.”
“Everyone has their own driving style. Mine is smoother, and I prefer a car with a responsive front end, quite sharp and direct. Max also likes a sharp front end, but his level of sharpness is on another level – incredibly sharp.”
“To illustrate, imagine increasing the sensitivity in a computer game to maximum. The slightest mouse movement sends the cursor darting across the screen. That’s similar to how the car feels. It becomes so sensitive that it makes you tense.”
Is Red Bull Designing Cars Specifically for Verstappen?
Verstappen has been with Red Bull since 2016 and, after an initial period, has consistently been at the forefront of performance.
After several incidents early in 2018, Verstappen outperformed Daniel Ricciardo for the rest of that year.
Since 2019, Verstappen has only been out-qualified 12 times by his teammates: Gasly (once), Albon (once), and Perez (10 times). Some of these instances were due to bad luck, team mistakes, or tactical grid penalties. Considering regulation changes and car design evolutions over this time, has Red Bull been prioritizing Verstappen?
“We always aim for peak performance,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
“Fast cars are inherently challenging to drive, but we know there`s more performance to unlock. We need both drivers performing at their best to compete for the Constructors` Championship, and certainly for the Drivers` Championship, you need two competitive cars. You can`t succeed with only one.”
Horner further added, “He [Verstappen] constantly demands more front-end grip, and we naturally follow the direction of our faster driver, which guides our development.”
Despite Horner`s statement, Verstappen has expressed dissatisfaction with the Red Bull car for nearly a year, particularly since McLaren started winning races last season.
He has been observed making frequent steering corrections, indicating he`s not entirely comfortable even with this year’s Red Bull. However, his exceptional skill allows him to extract maximum performance even from a car that isn`t perfectly suited to his preferences.
Lack of Confidence: A Major Issue
Formula 1 drivers make countless decisions each lap, and each one affects performance.
When to brake, how hard to brake, when to turn, how sharply to turn, the racing line, and when and how hard to accelerate—all these happen in seconds, often while racing wheel-to-wheel.
Any hesitation or lack of confidence in the car becomes a significant problem, especially when driving for a top team like Red Bull, where pressure is immense.
“Lawson was seven tenths slower than Verstappen in Q1 in China, where Verstappen was third and Lawson was 20th,” noted Martin Brundle, who experienced being teammates with a young Michael Schumacher at Benetton in 1992.
“You might think, `half a tenth per corner, that`s manageable,` but it`s not. Finding those seven tenths is incredibly difficult. It requires a fundamental shift in approach.”
Recently, Perez showed pace close to Verstappen early in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. However, as the season progressed, the gap widened. Albon believes this is because car development increasingly favored Verstappen`s style—faster but harder to handle.
“What happened, particularly in my season, is you start slightly behind, but not by much. Then, as the season progresses, Max wants more front-end performance, making the car sharper,” he explained.
“As the car becomes sharper, he gets faster and faster. To catch up, you start pushing harder, taking more risks. You might be just tenths behind one session, but pushing harder can lead to mistakes like going off-track or crashing, forcing you to start over.”
“Then, you lose a bit of confidence, it takes longer to recover, and the gap widens. Next time, trying to compensate, you might spin or make another error—it snowballs. As the car becomes more sensitive, you become tenser.”
“Like in any sport, if you`re not in a flow state and have to consciously think about every action, and you`re unsure how the car will react in each corner, it`s about confidence in the car and finding a rhythm. It just doesn`t work otherwise.”
Is Verstappen Simply Too Talented?
Despite discussions about driving styles and car development for Verstappen, his exceptional talent is undeniably a significant factor.
Nico Rosberg considers Verstappen the best driver he competed against and ranks him among the top five Formula 1 drivers of all time, alongside legends like Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton, and Juan Manuel Fangio.
Verstappen is currently performing at his peak. In 2024, he arguably won the championship even without having the best car, securing the title with two races remaining.
It`s likely that most drivers on the grid would struggle to match Verstappen`s performance in the same car, given his extraordinary skill.
“He`s an incredible talent. His ability is evident time and again,” Horner acknowledged.
“Looking back, it`s clear how exceptional Max is. I think the wider world is now starting to truly recognize just how special he is.”
