Max Verstappen says the name of the driver in the other Red Bull cockpit is far less important than the car itself to compete well against its rivals in 2025.
The Dutchman won his fourth championship in 2024 and did it with an RB20 lacking performance and balance for a big half of the season.
Despite a good start, the RB20 evolved poorly and its balance deteriorated, which allowed Lando Norris to threaten it for the title. With the collapse of Sergio Perez at the same time, the constructors' title went to McLaren F1 and Ferrari even passed Red Bull for 2nd place.
When asked if Liam Lawson was the right teammate to climb back into the championship, Max Verstappen took a lot of pressure off the New Zealander by transferring it directly to the team, which must progress with the RB21.
“If we can't get the car back to the front of the grid, it doesn't matter who's name is in the other cockpit,” he confides to Blick.
“I don't have a crystal ball, but if we can rectify some weaknesses over the winter, we'll be back in front. But I'm certainly not making any predictions here.”
“Five teams should be fighting at the front. Weaknesses have been reduced. We often lacked the necessary balance because we simply couldn't get into the right window with the temperatures.”
“So we have to rectify that so that we can move forward again and fight, otherwise neither Liam nor I will be able to counter our rivals who will continue to progress this winter.”
Even though Helmut Marko doesn't expect Lawson to be as fast as Verstappen, the Austrian has made it clear what the New Zealander needs to achieve.
“He should be three tenths behind Max in qualifying and the race. This should be enough to score points for the constructors' championship. He should also steadily increase his performance – if possible.”
Lawson will be the fifth driver to be partnered with Verstappen, while the second seat at Red Bull has become a poisoned chalice since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo in 2018. Verstappen admitted that Ricciardo was the teammate who pushed him the most.
“Daniel Ricciardo, without a doubt, he taught me the most. I learned a lot and I integrated him into my experiences.”
As for his Sergio Perez, Verstappen said he was “always loyal”a quality that the Dutchman appreciated.
“It's a shame, because we've been a good team for four years – and Sergio has always been loyal. It's a quality I really appreciate.”
