The second Red Bull seat is jinxed, or so the belief goes in F1 circles. Drivers who have become Max Verstappen’s teammates have all failed to match his pace. And they have all suffered the same fate, eventually being shown the door.
A look at the Red Bulls roster certainly confirms this impression. Since 2016, when the Dutch driver replaced Daniil Kvyat four races into the season, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez all became his teammates — but didn’t stay long.
Now, Liam Lawson has become the latest victim of this ‘jinx’. The Milton Keynes-based outfit has demoted Lawson back to Racing Bulls after only two races — the quickest any F1 team has changed drivers in over three decades!
The New Zealander’s place has gone to Yuki Tsunoda. Despite Tsunoda’s recent run of form, many believe the #22 driver will also suffer the same fate as the others before him, prompting condemnation from fans and experts alike.
IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin, for instance, minced no words lambasting Red Bull’s action. “It’s a cruel sport, but I really don’t think he was given a fair shot IMO”, he wrote on X about Lawson, adding, “Nothing against Yuki, and I think he’s a shoe, but the Red Bull game is ruthless/irrational. I look forward to the next installment of this broken system.”
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has also weighed in on Red Bull’s action. The general consensus in the paddock is that the RB21 is a difficult car to tame with massive balance issues on the rear, and Montoya reiterated that.
“I actually don’t think the Red Bull car is that bad. It’s built for Max, so he can make it look great. But what I’m saying is, the car is built for him. Everything is done for him, think of his driving style and his taste,” Montoya explained per RacingNews365.
The notion that the Red Bull car is primed for Verstappen was brushed aside by the world champion himself, who has demanded that the team fix these issues. However, Montoya believes the current Red Bull cars are not particularly tricky to drive. They are just tailored to Verstappen’s liking.
Red Bull’s bias toward the 27-year-old is understandable, as Max is a generational talent. He can keep the team competitive no matter how difficult the car is to drive. However, the Milton Keynes-based team has also been asked to reassess their priorities — at least in terms of car development — to avoid a spectacular fall from grace.
Ex-Red Bull driver urges developmental change
The team’s former driver, Mark Webber, also believes that Red Bull nees to stop pinning everything around Verstappen.
The Australian simply believes that Red Bull cannot just design their car according to one driver’s liking, as each team consists of two, and that the team needs to change its strategy if it wants to stay competitive.
“Also with Max, who knows how long he stays. He might be there for another three or four more years. But the team also have to get this car usable for not just one person on the planet,” he explained on the Formula for Success podcast.
The question is, will the Red Bull management listen?
