Red Bull’s main problem is the F1 car, not drivers

Max Verstappen suggested that his Formula 1 Red Bull team should focus on repairing his car in difficulty 2025 rather than worrying about the identity of his teammate.

After two difficult weekends alongside Verstappen, Red Bull downgraded Liam Lawson to racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda moving in the other direction of the Japanese Grand Prix of this weekend.

While Red Bull has the discount of moving his four pilots through the two teams he has, and has done so in the past, putting to Lawson only two laps to be adapted was felt as particularly cruel by colleagues and observers.

Former F1 pilot Giedo Van Der Garde compared Red Bull’s approach to “intimidation” on his Instagram profile. “Yes, you have to play. Yes, the pressure is crazy. But in my opinion, it is close to intimidation or a panic movement that real achievements of high athletes,” he said. “They made a decision – fully aware – gave Liam two races only to crush his mind.”

The position was appreciated by Verstappen, who, according to driver advisor, Helmut Marko was disagreed with the decision to exchange the drivers. And although the Dutchman did not want to extend too much in his opinion, he said that he had not interacted with the message of Van der keeps by mistake and that the objective of Red Bull should be on the driving and performance of his difficult car 2025.

“Well, I liked the text, so I guess it talks about itself, right? It was not a mistake,” he said. “My reaction was shared with the team, but in general. Not only the exchange, but on everything. We have already discussed it during the last weekend of race and return to the factory.”

When asked if he agreed with the decision, he replied: “Sometimes it is not necessary to always share in public.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo of: Red Bull Content Pool

“I think that our main problem is that our car is not where we want it to be. Everyone knows it too within the team and that is what I focus on, to be honest. Because as soon as the car is more competitive and more drives in general, so I think that even in the second car, it will happen to you a little more naturally.

“Liam did 11 races or something in total (before 2025) but over a different period of time. And I think that for recruits, the start of the season is very difficult, because most of these songs on which they did not really drive, or they simply have a weekend of sprint. So all these scenarios do not help.”

Verstappen, who spent time in the British factory of Red Bull to dive deeply with the team engineers in the problems of his car, said that there was not a single problem that makes RB21 become unstable and lack of balance.

“It’s a little more nervous, a little more unstable in different angle phases,” said the Dutchman. “I think it’s a combination of many things. It also depends on the angle speed, tarmac, tires, overheating, bumps, borders. Some tracks are more limiting than others. Some problems are easier to solve than others. Everyone is trying to make the car faster.”

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Verstappen is heading for the Japan weekend second in the ranking after seizing second place in the Australian race affected by the rain and the recovery of the fourth in China, but he still thinks that McLaren is “comfortably in advance” and will be difficult to catch.

“Each track is a little different, but for the moment, they are quite comfortably in advance,” added the quadruple world champion. “Never say. We come to each race while trying to get the most out of the car, but for the moment, I don’t think that even if we optimize our performance, it’s enough. But we continue to work.

“We are trying to bring the performance this year, but if that will be enough to beat McLaren, it’s very difficult to say, because the others are also improving.”

Additional report by Erwin Jaeggi