Formula 1

Verstappen shuts down rumors of Red Bull favoritism

Published

4 weeks ago

28/02/2023

Verstappen denies preferential treatment at Red Bull, stating he adapts to the car. Red Bull found a solution to suit both Verstappen and Perez.

The claim that Verstappen receives preferential treatment at Red Bull has been dismissed by the driver himself.

Max Verstappen has rejected the idea that Red Bull has continuously prioritized the production and development of their Formula 1 cars based solely on his driving preferences.

After being promoted to the senior Red Bull outfit in the middle of the 2016 season, Verstappen has gone on to win two World Championships and achieve 35 Grand Prix victories.

However, the struggles of Verstappen’s teammates in similar machinery, which resulted in the departures of Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly, have raised doubts about whether the Red Bull team is solely focused on catering to the reigning champion.

During testing, the discussion was revived when Sky Sports F1’s lead commentator, David Croft, raised the question of whether Verstappen’s recent success was the result of receiving a package specifically customized to suit his requirements.

Nonetheless, Verstappen has rejected claims that the technical team at Milton Keynes deliberately designs cars solely to suit his driving style.

Verstappen argued, “I don’t believe it is solely tailored to my driving style.”

Verstappen explained that as a driver, you need to adapt to the car you are given, and that’s what he did when he joined Red Bull. The car has always had a strong front-end, but he has never driven a fast car with understeer before in any category.

“I don’t find it strange when it seems like the team is really working around my driving style. If someone asked me what my driving style is, I wouldn’t be able to answer because I always adapt to the best of my ability to what I have been given,” Verstappen added.

Verstappen concluded, “At times, it can be more difficult than others, but that’s the essence of it. You must adapt. Every year and every track presents different challenges, and that’s what we strive to handle the best way possible each time.”

While Verstappen has emphasized the importance of being adaptable, it has been reported that the two-time champion generally prefers a car with more oversteer.

Although Verstappen has demonstrated the ability to extract the best out of any type of car, he performs at his best with a package that has a robust front end that he can rotate the car through the corner and a rear end that is more responsive. This type of car tends to be more challenging to drive, but Verstappen has shown that he is adept at handling it.

Gasly and Albon had difficulty adjusting to the previous generation of Red Bull cars, which were characterized by inherent rear instability. Sergio Perez, who has a great deal of experience, also had trouble adapting when he joined the team to partner with the young Verstappen in 2021.

Perez was a stronger competitor at the start of the last season, but after a series of upgrades, a significant gap between the two Red Bull drivers emerged once again, with Verstappen ultimately winning 15 races to his teammate’s two.

Despite this, following Red Bull’s impressive pre-season testing, Helmut Marko, the team’s Motorsport Director, has disclosed that the RB19 already appears to be suitable for the requirements of both drivers.

Marko stated in an interview with Sky Germany, “Last year, we had a car that Checo performed well with at the outset. As it was developed, Max became increasingly satisfied.”

Marko added that they appear to have discovered a solution that enables both drivers to demonstrate their abilities.

“However, it appears that we have discovered a solution that allows both drivers to exhibit their abilities,” Marko added.

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