Former F1 team principal signals 'Max factor' in Red Bull headache

Former F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer has suggested there is a “Max factor” at Red Bull separating Verstappen from his team-mates.

Verstappen has easily had the upper hand on his F1 team-mates across the last handful of seasons with Yuki Tsunoda the latest to be paired alongside the Dutchman.

However, the car has been notoriously difficult to drive as its narrow operating window makes finding the sweet spot a major challenge.

Verstappen has scored one victory in the opening six rounds of the season and is starting to lose touch with the McLaren drivers out front in the drivers' championship.

Having scored 99 points to the 9 bagged by the second Red Bull car, Verstappen's pace was a topic of conversation on the latest episode of the RacingNews365, featuring Szafnauer.

When asked if the RB21 car is better than people think or if Verstappen is making the difference, Szafnauer stated: “I don't have all the data they do, where I used to [have]. I'm only speaking from an external viewpoint, from a macro viewpoint of what's happening.

“For me, Yuki Tsunoda is a very competent driver. He has the same car and equipment Max does.

“One qualifies on pole, and the other one is 10th, seven-tenths of a second behind. There is a 'Max factor' there, from just that perspective.

“Look at McLaren. They have the best car and look where those two drivers qualify - within a tenth of each other. That too, tells you something.”

Otmar Szafnauer details importance of key McLaren strength

While qualifying has been a close affair between Verstappen and the McLaren drivers this season, race pace has painted a different competitive picture.

McLaren has been able to flex its muscles across a race stint, taking victory at five out of the six grand prix staged so far.

“That’s where McLaren really excel, on long run pace, more so than over one lap,” Szafnauer stated.

“There could be numerous amounts of reasons for that, including car design, development, setup. Tyre management, for example, would be another one.”

Indeed, tyre management has been a key area of advantage for McLaren across the opening rounds, aiding its route to multiple race wins.

Drawing on his own experience as a team principal, Szafnauer highlighted he took extra steps to ensure the teams he managed had a firm understanding of how to keep their tyres in check.

“When I was at Force India, I made sure we had the best tyre engineers that I could hire,” Szafnauer reflected.

“We focused a lot on car development and how that development would treat the tyre to gain an advantage. There were race where we were the only ones not doing a two-stop, we could go and only do a one stop because we had a huge focus on the tyre.

“If McLaren did the same and were successful. Even at Alpine, I tried to start bolstering the tyre knowledge by hiring further tyre engineers. My last Miami Grand Prix, we qualified fifth and eighth and ended up with both in the points in eighth and ninth.

“That type of performance comes from focusing on the right areas of a car where you know it's going to make a difference versus your competition.

“If McLaren did just that, and they're successful, that’s a huge advantage.”

The full interview with Otmar Szafnauer will be released on Monday, May 12 on YouTube and all of your podcast players!