Since his debut in 2015, Max Verstappen has been beaten by his teammate on only two occasions and by one man — Daniel Ricciardo. After finishing twice behind the Aussie in 2016 and ’17, Verstappen has always dominated his teammates over a season. This dominance is a major issue for the team as no one is able to sustain the pressure. Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner shed light on what makes the Dutchman so different.
On the RacingNews365’s YouTube podcast, Steiner said, “I mean, to beat Max Verstappen, there was quite a few people which couldn’t achieve that in the same team. They struggled with that one because he’s mentally so strong and he’s such a good driver, you know, and everything works for him. So it is very difficult.”
Formula 1 CEO & former Ferrari member Stefano Domenicali says Max Verstappen’s ability to dominate the competition reminds him of Michael Schumacher.
“In Max Verstappen, we have a driver who is mature. He reminds me of Michael Schumacher because he gives nothing to any rival.” pic.twitter.com/9TrOw9B0cH
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) December 27, 2023
Verstappen has proved his dominance for the past two seasons and scored more than double the points last year from the season’s runner-up, who was his teammate Sergio Perez. This disparity at Red Bull is evident in the current season as well with Perez 146 points behind the Dutchman.
Despite Red Bull’s current struggles, Verstappen has been winning races on the back of his individual brilliance. He has overcome the car’s shortcomings and not let the pressure bring him down completely. This resilience has been the difference maker in his career so far especially now against Perez.
Steiner highlights what is holding back Perez against Verstappen
F1 is as much a mental sport as it is a physical sport, and Verstappen has a ruthless mentality. He’s unfazed by most scenarios during a race weekend and goes about business with his head in the game.
Meanwhile, Perez has not been able to keep himself as mentally strong as his teammate. This is exactly what Steiner believes has held him back. In the same conversation, he said, “It’s mental. I think that they get under stress. And then if you think how little it takes to be three or four-tenths off, it’s understandable.”
“If you don’t have the confidence, if you just always feel under pressure, everybody looking at you, everybody just trying to critique you.”, he added.
He pointed out that this doubles down on Monday debriefs if a driver has had a bad weekend. The bashing a driver receives gets to them and it’s all downhill from there. Now, for the time being, Perez has been retained by Red Bull for the rest of 2024. Still, time will tell if it helps him recover his abysmal form.
