Max Verstappen has seen a fair share of teammates come and go during his tenure at Red Bull. Not even halfway through the 2025 season, the Dutch driver has already been paired with two new racers: Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. There’s been much talk in the media about the treacherous Red Bull cars – the vehicles are reportedly set up so aggressively that few drivers can handle them. However, Verstappen himself sees little issue.
During a press conference leading up to the Austrian Grand Prix, Verstappen was asked about the Red Bull cars of recent years. Why do his teammates often struggle with the handling? “Every driver is different, everyone needs something different,” he explained. “What I expect from a car might not work for someone else. That’s quite normal, I think. I just focus on what I need – what I’ve been used to since a young age. It’s a natural process and nothing out of the ordinary. How do you react to oversteer, understeer, how do you improve the driving characteristics, and how do you adapt as a driver – those kinds of things. For me, it’s not rocket science, it’s just part of Formula 1.”
Pushing the Limits
That’s why Max Verstappen finds it difficult to pinpoint where the Red Bull car might be more aggressive than others. “I’m not used to anything else – I only know this car,” he emphasized. “That’s partly my driving style, I just adapt. I have no idea if we always build the fastest or best car we can, but over the past few years we have achieved some great results. Now the competition has made a big leap forward,” he referred to rival McLaren. “So we will have to try even harder. Let’s put it this way, every car is difficult to drive when you’re pushing the limits.”
“I can’t make any guarantees,” Verstappen said about the upcoming Austrian GP. The Red Bull driver is chasing his sixth victory on the Spielberg circuit. “We’re not the favorites, but I’m definitely going to do my best.” Verstappen also draws hope from the latest Red Bull upgrades. “We obviously have new parts, so hopefully a bit more performance,” he concluded. “Every little bit helps, but at the same time, the other teams also have upgrades.”
