Red Bull drivers all struggle with one thing about Max Verstappen â ‘Takes a toll’
A Red Bull insider has lifted the lid on what makes Max Verstappen a team-mate destroyer.
Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and, most recently, Sergio Perez have also been put to the sword since the Dutchman stepped up to the Red Bull senior team during the 2016 season, brilliantly winning that year’s Spanish Grand Prix. After four years with Verstappen, Perez’s form and confidence have been left in tatters, with the Mexican being moved aside at the end of last season despite having a year left on his contract.
Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas has opened up about what makes the four-time world champion such a fearsome team-mate. Speaking on the High Performance podcast with Jake Humphrey, he said: âMore than anything, itâs resilience. What weâve seen, certainly with Maxâs teammates over the years, what they struggle with is how resilient Max is.
âYou can have a bad weekend where the carâs not great and he will drag something out of it. For a lot of the drivers who have sat alongside him in the garage, itâs really hard to see.
âItâs really hard to suck up. You might go out and put a great lap in and think, âIâve dragged the most out of that carâ, then Max will find two-tenths on you.
âMentally, that really takes itâs toll on people, through no fault of Maxâs. Heâs just there to go the quickest but itâs a tough one [for them] to swallow sometimes.â
Nicholas also disclosed what the 27-year-old dislikes the most about life in F1. He said: âThe thing that Max dislikes most is all the media requirements. And I hear him. Max would quite happily just arrive, get in the car, do his job.â
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The next driver faced with the task of driving alongside Verstappen is Liam Lawson, who insists he is relishing working alongside an F1 great. Upon being announced as Perezâs replacement, the New Zealander said: âI am super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a world champion. I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I canât wait to get going.”
Verstappen and Lawson will be in attendance when F1 holds its season launch event at The O2 in London on Tuesday, February 18. The event will see all 10 teams will unveil their liveries for the 2025 season, which begins with the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne in mid-March.
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