F1 – Teammate of Max Verstappen: a high-risk job

Being Max Verstappen's teammate is no easy feat. Christian Horner says it himself: at present, “we can argue that this seat is the most difficult in Formula 1, facing Max Verstappen at the peak of his career. “. Next year, in 2025, it will be ten years since the Dutchman has been in Formula 1.

Over his last ten seasons, the quadruple world champion has had five teammates at Toro Rosso and Red Bull: Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon and finally Sergio Pérez, who left the Austrian team at the end of the 2024 season. The Mexican will be replaced by Liam Lawson, who will therefore become Max Verstappen's sixth teammate in F1.

From the height of his 11 Grands Prix, the New Zealander will face a mountain that has never lost in its direct confrontations against his teammates since 2015! Some even almost lost everything and saw their careers come to an abrupt end after having suffered the law of the Dutchman, who does not give gifts to his teammates…

2015 – May 2016: Carlos Sainz

23 Grand Prix
Verstappen :  62 points / Sainz : 22 points

At just 17 years old, Max Verstappen made his debut in Formula 1 at Toro Rosso, alongside Carlos Sainz Jr. Very quickly, the Dutchman distinguished himself and validated all the talent that was promised to him at the time, while the Spaniard takes longer to adapt. In 2015, the first season for both drivers, the result was clear: Max Verstappen scored 49 points compared to only 18 for Carlos Sainz.

The native of Hasselt even signed two 4th places and achieved the overtake of the year over Felipe Nasr, during the Belgian Grand Prix. In 2016, over the first four Grands Prix, the observation is the same with Verstappen well ahead of Sainz (13 points to 4). So, when Red Bull decides to do without Daniil Kvyat, the choice of his replacement is more than obvious… Carlos Sainz will continue at Toro Rosso before being transferred to Renault in 2017, then to McLaren in 2019, to Ferrari in 2021 – where he obtained his first victories in F1 – and finally at Williams in 2025.

Never 2016 – 2018 : Daniel Ricciardo

58 Grand Prix
Verstappen: 608 points, 5 wins / Ricciardo: 590 points, 4 wins

…and this is how Max Verstappen debuts at Red Bull in the fifth Grand Prix of the 2016 season, alongside Daniel Ricciardo. And what beginnings! The Dutchman won his first victory in his first race with the Austrian team, in Spain! Facing the Australian, in a top team, Max Verstappen is still searching for himself and finds a tough opponent facing him. Good friends in the paddock, the two teammates will still experience some heated moments, like the collision at the end of the race in Baku, in 2018, or in Hungary the previous year.

Of the 58 Grands Prix spent together, Max Verstappen narrowly won with 608 points against 590 for Daniel Ricciardo who, feeling the tide turning internally after a complicated 2018 season, decided to leave the Red Bull ship to join Renault in 2019. A risky and failed bet: with the Losange, the native of Perth did not win any Grand Prix and left for McLaren in 2021. In Woking, despite a victory at Monza, the adventure goes wrong and Daniel Ricciardo is fired at the end of 2022. The Australian returns to Red Bull in 2023 as a reserve driver then as a regular driver at AlphaTauri, with the hope of finding a seat within the parent team… without success.

March 2019 – August 2019: Pierre Gasly

12 Grand Prix
Verstappen: 181 points, 2 wins / Gasly: ​​63 points, 0 wins

With the departure of Daniel Ricciardo to Renault, Max Verstappen becomes the logical number 1 at Red Bull. A status which allows it to have priority over the settings and development of the single-seater. And Pierre Gasly will learn that the hard way. The Frenchman, promoted to Red Bull to replace the Australian, is no match for the Dutchman. Constantly beaten in qualifying and in the race, he did not achieve any podium while at the same time, Max Verstappen won two victories and was in 3rd place in the championship.

After 12 Grands Prix, the Norman has three times fewer points than his teammate… Red Bull then decides to relegate Pierre Gasly to Toro Rosso mid-season: the Frenchman re-mobilizes and scores an incredible podium in Brazil. Until 2022, he is the leader of the AlphaTauri team and even obtains a victory at Monza, as well as a few podiums. In 2023, he joined Alpine and scored a new podium in Brazil in 2024.

September 2019 – 2020: Alexander Albon

26 Grand Prix
Verstappen: 311 points, 3 wins / Albon: 181 points, 0 wins

To replace Pierre Gasly, Red Bull placed its trust in Alexander Albon, who was then playing his first season in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso. The Thai then showed a promising pace within the Faenza team… but in Milton Keynes, it's not the same story. Like Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon suffers at the wheel of a Red Bull designed with great care for Max Verstappen and his own driving style. In 2020, the Covid year, he finished far from his teammate (214 points for Verstappen, 105 for Alexander Albon) and was not renewed for 2021, despite his first two podiums. Red Bull nevertheless keeps him as a reserve driver.

Alexander Albon then finds himself on the sidelines in 2021 after his unsuccessful adventure alongside Max Verstappen. The Thai is taking advantage of this forced “sabbatical year” to rebuild his reputation, particularly in the DTM. In 2022, Williams decides to recruit him to lead the British team's new project with Dorilton investors. At Grove, he becomes the leader of the team and will be associated with a certain Carlos Sainz in 2025.

2021-2024: Sergio Pérez

90 Grand Prix
Verstappen: 1861.5 points, 53 victories / Pérez: 932 points, 5 victories

Last victim in this table of Max Verstappen's teammates in Formula 1: Sergio Pérez. Established by Red Bull in 2021 to replace Alexander Albon, the Mexican breaks the tradition of Toro Rosso drivers promoted within the parent team. With such a transfer and with the experience of “Checo”, Red Bull hopes to break the curse of the Austrian second seat. In 2021, Sergio Pérez becomes the good lieutenant of Max Verstappen who is then playing for the title against Lewis Hamilton. In Abu Dhabi, his defense against the Briton allowed the Dutchman to stay in contact with the Mercedes driver and, subsequently, to win his first world champion title in crazy circumstances.

In 2022, Sergio Pérez starts the season well with podiums and a victory in Monaco. Here again, Max Verstappen is far above, but the Mexican does the necessary work to score big points and allow Red Bull to win its first Constructors' title since 2013. In 2023, Sergio Pérez signs two victories in the first four Grands Price and sees himself playing for the title against his teammate… and that's where his downfall begins. That year, Max Verstappen achieved a record number of 19 victories compared to only two for Sergio Pérez, who was soundly beaten.

In 2024, it's even worse: the Mexican only gets four podiums and no victories when at the same time, Max Verstappen wins his fourth title! Completely overwhelmed, Sergio Pérez finished only 8th in the championship and his repeated poor performances deprived Red Bull of the Manufacturers' title. “Checo” sees his adventure with Red Bull end at the end of the 2024 season after 90 Grands Prix, and perhaps his career in Formula 1 as well.

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