Max Verstappen dismisses 'sensitive' subject with 'rocket science' quip

Max Verstappen has stated there is no “rocket science” behind his driving style suiting the Red Bull car compared to his team-mates.

Red Bull has often been left fighting one-handed in recent years with Verstappen's team-mates unable to extract pace from recent challengers.

The squad parted ways with Sergio Perez at the end of the 2024 season and replaced him with Liam Lawson, who lasted just two rounds before being ousted in favour of Yuki Tsunoda.

Tsunoda, however, has also struggled behind the wheel since joining.

Having led the development push across the last couple of years as its lead driver, Verstappen suggested it is only natural his needs differ from other drivers.

"Well, I think first of all, every driver is different,” Verstappen told media including RacingNews365.

“Every driver needs a different thing from the car. So what I need from the car might not work for someone else. That is quite normal.”

Verstappen added that his demands for the race car stem from what he learned early in his racing career.

“So, from my side, I just focus on what I need from the car, and just go off what I learned from a very young age – how I drive, how I adapt to car situations,” he said.

“For me, it’s a very natural process. It’s nothing really special from my side – how I do things. It’s just how I know how to operate, how to work. 

“We just focus on if I have understeer, oversteer, how can I balance it out, how can I adapt my driving, and how do we move forward with the progress of the car? 

“There’s no rocket science behind it. It’s just what I feel, what the team sees, and you communicate what you want to improve on. Every year you build a new car, and there are always things that can be done better. 

“Then if things cannot be modified very quickly, how can I adapt as a driver? It is a constant process that you go through in Formula 1.”