Being a teammate to Max Verstappen has quickly become one of the toughest challenges for any F1 driver. As a result, the ‘second seat curse’ of Red Bull has become a widely accepted norm on the grid. Another common theory around Red Bull is that the team builds their cars only to suit the needs of their Dutch driver. Amidst such rumors, Alex Albon, a victim of the ‘curse,’ recently revealed the truth behind the claim.
Appearing in a podcast on the YouTube channel ‘High Performance,’ the Thai driver dismissed all such claims. He mentioned that the “car is what it is,” but Verstappen is very quick and adapts to a car well. Furthermore, the Thai driver credited Verstappen’s unique driving skills for his success in the RB18 and the RB19.
“He [Verstappen] has a quite unique driving style actually. I would say my driving style is a bit more on the smooth side, but I like a car that has a good front end, so quite sharp, quite direct. Max [Verstappen] does, too, but his level of sharp and direct is, kind of another, it’s a whole different level“, said Albon.
Explaining it the best way he could, Albon said that it was like if a gamer were to turn their mouse sensitivity to the highest possible setting, they would have the same sharpness as Verstappen. The Thai driver added that since Verstappen wants to increase the sharpness of the car with each race, his teammates who cannot adapt usually end up suffering.
The sharper Verstappen makes his car, the quicker it goes. Thus, his teammate has to play catch-up, and in doing so, they often end up crashing, said Albon. Hence, the “flow state” of a driver is disrupted, and it makes it difficult for them to bounce back. However, no one holds any sort of grudge against the Dutchman.
Max Verstappen’s other Red Bull teammates are also all praises for him
Having debuted in 2015 in Toro Rosso alongside Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz was the Dutchman’s first teammate in F1. Speaking about the “special talent” of Verstappen, Sainz said that the 26-year-old has always been a consistent performer and has done “really, really well” since his debut in 2015.
Similarly, Daniel Ricciardo, who teamed up with Verstappen between 2016 and 2018, also praised the Dutchman’s originality despite his staggering success in the sport. “What you see with Max [Verstappen] is what you get,” said the Australian.
Moreover, Verstappen’s current teammate, Sergio Perez, also held the three-time champion in high regard. The Mexican driver claimed that Verstappen drives at a level he has never seen in F1.
Perez then added that not only did Verstappen reach such a high level, but that the 26-year-old also continues to maintain his dominance over the rest of the field. Since mostly everyone has only good things to say about Verstappen, it just highlights his prowess and technical mastery, and the difficulties most drivers have in being his teammate.
