Max Verstappen addresses potential Liam Lawson help: 'I never ask'

Max Verstappen does not expect Red Bull to use Liam Lawson to help his qualifying efforts at the Italian Grand Prix, with slipstreaming expected to be prevalent at Monza.

The four-time F1 drivers' champion insists he does not make such requests to the Milton Keynes-based team, and does not plan on doing so this weekend, despite the New Zealander being a stand-in for his regular team-mate Isack Hadjar, who is still suffering the effects of the wrist injury that ruled him out of the Dutch Grand Prix.

Slipstreaming, which is essentially having the driver in front punch a hole in the air for you, is still an effective tool to be used, but is far less widespread in contemporary F1 than in eras gone by, with the advantage of sacrificing clean air for a tow no longer as advantageous as it once was.

That means teams rarely deploy one driver strategically in qualifying to aid the other. However, the visit to the Temple of Speed is often a departure from the norm, and this season is expected to be no different.

In fact, the effect is expected to be amplified at Monza under the new F1 regulations. The FIA has set the harvesting limit at a low 5 MJ in qualifying — and 7 MJ in the race — on the energy-starved circuit, and the impact is expected to be extreme.

This is due to the subsequent low top speeds and the benefit it will also have on energy use, with those following a car ahead closely having to use less battery deployment in relative terms, which can then be used elsewhere throughout the lap.

When questioned about whether he anticipates following within a second, or even half a second, will be common practice in qualifying, Verstappen expressed his lack of interest in playing strategic games on his push laps.

"Not sure within a second, [but] maybe a bit closer than what you have seen in the last few years," the Dutchman told media, including RacingNews365.

"It's also so easy to put yourself in a s****y place on track. We've seen it a few years ago, when it was a big mess.

"Honestly, I just think with what we are doing at the moment, I'm not really looking for that; I just want to do my laps and try and get the car in a good window."

And the 28-year-old has no intention of having Lawson's focus be helping him achieve his lap times when the fight for pole reaches Q3.

"Honestly, no, I haven't really thought about that," the 71-time grand prix winner said.

"If you're fighting in a championship battle, or you really try and do something special... but they [the team] want two cars trying to do well, but let's see.

"I never ask things to the team, and I leave it up to them for these kinds of things. I think that's best."