Günther Steiner compares Max Verstappen to his predecessor at Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel. Both drivers clinched four consecutive world titles while racing for the Austrian team, but according to the Italian, that’s where the similarities end. Steiner believes Verstappen operates ‘on a completely different level’ than Vettel: ‘Max has proven that he can perform well even without a dominant car’.
This year, after four consecutive world titles, Max Verstappen had to watch as Lando Norris won the drivers’ championship in Abu Dhabi. The Dutchman is not the first Red Bull driver to experience this; Sebastian Vettel also saw his tally stop at four titles. However, that’s where the similarity ends, according to Günther Steiner.
The former team boss of Haas believes Verstappen should not be ruled out even in 2026. “For me, Fernando (Alonso) was also a talent of that same level, but he just couldn’t make it because he was always in the wrong car,” Steiner explains in the Red Flags podcast. “But I think Max won’t make that mistake, because Jos, his father, and Raymond (Vermeulen, his manager) will ensure he ends up in the right car. So I don’t think we need to worry about that. Max will be in the best car, and if not, then in the second-best car.”
Max Verstappen Can Perform Without a Dominant Car
Furthermore, Verstappen has another advantage over Vettel, as Steiner explains. When asked if the Dutchman is facing a similar fate as his Red Bull predecessor, the Italian responds: “No. I think that’s because Vettel always drove the dominant car and Max has shown that he can do it without the dominant car, as the Red Bull was not the best car this year. It wasn’t the best car last year either, yet he won last year and finished second this year.”
The former team boss can therefore only draw one conclusion about Verstappen: “So I think that Max, as much as I respect Vettel for what he has done, but Vettel came to Ferrari and he didn’t make much of a difference. He won races, but it was never a success story like that of Michael (Schumacher). So I think that Max is simply on a completely different level (than Vettel).”
