Max Vestappen reveals why he needs help from Red Bull, not Liam Lawson

Max Verstappen believes the identity of his teammate next season “won’t matter” as long as Red Bull can produce a fast car.

The Dutchman won a fourth consecutive world title last season, but at times he seemed to be fighting with his car as much as Lando Norris and Charles Lecler, his closest rivals in the championship.

Verstappen described the RB20 as an “undriveable monster” after the Italian Grand Prix in September, a view shared by his then teammate Sergio Perez.

The Mexican endured a dismal campaign as his form took a nosedive after signed a two-year extension in May and will be replaced by Liam Lawson next year.

With Perez struggling – the 34-year-old finished eighth in the championship, his worst return since joining Red Bull in 2021 – Verstappen had to shoulder the burden of the team’s expectations.

And although he won four drivers’ titles in a row, in the end he could not prevent McLaren from winning its first constructors’ championship in 26 years.

The Dutchman is optimistic about Red Bull’s chances of regaining their crown next year, but insisted that will have more to do with the car than with Lawson.

“If we manage to get the car back to the front, the name that appears in the other compartment won’t matter,” he told Swiss magazine Blick.

“I don’t have a crystal ball, but if we can rectify certain weaknesses over the winter, we will be back in front. But I’m certainly not making any predictions here.

“Five teams should be fighting at the front. The weaknesses have been reduced.

“We often lacked the necessary balance because we simply couldn’t get into the low temperature window.”

Why Red Bull had problems in 2024

In 2022 and 2023, Verstappen annihilated his rivals, winning 15 and 19 races of the 22 on the calendar respectively.

The procession seemed destined to continue last season, with the Dutchman winning four of the first five races and seven of the first 10 Grands Prix.

But then, seemingly inexplicably, their team’s dominance ended when McLaren and Ferrari not only closed the gap, but replaced Red Bull as the fastest car on the grid.

As the RB20 fought a losing battle with balance, Red Bull unveiled new improvements, which only seemed to aggravate existing problems.

The RB20 struggled on all tracks, and its lack of grip was compounded by a set-up that put too much strain on the tyres.

And as team manager Christian Horner admitted in September, Red Bull’s problems were due to the team overdeveloping its RB20.

“Maybe we’ve become too complex and maybe we need to simplify some things,” he said, noting that both McLaren and Ferrari had kept things simpler.

To his credit, Verstappen remained remarkably consistent, scoring valuable points despite going five months without a win.

On the contrary, Pérez failed and his disappearance played a key role in Red Bull finishing third in the constructors’ championship, 77 points behind McLaren and 63 behind Ferrari.

“It’s a shame because we were a good team for four years and Sergio was always loyal,” said the Dutchman about the Mexican’s departure, which occurred 12 months earlier than planned.

“That’s a quality I really appreciate.”

Red Bull sets Liam Lawson’s goals

The task of being Verstappen’s new partner falls to Lawsonwho scored points in two of his six starts last season since replacing Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull’s sister team RB.

The Milton Keynes-based team has high hopes for the 22-year-old, who made his Formula 1 debut in 2023 when he replaced Ricciardo for five races after the latter broke his wrist in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix. .

Incidentally, Lawson will be Verstappen’s fourth teammate since Ricciardo left Red Bull for Renault at the end of the 2018 season.

And Red Bull chief adviser Helmut Marko hopes the New Zealander will help Red Bull reclaim the constructors’ crown from McLaren while also helping Verstappen’s bid for a fifth consecutive title.

“He should be three tenths behind Max in both qualifying and the race,” Marko told Austrian broadcaster RTL.

“This should be enough to get points for the Constructors’ Championship.

“You should also constantly increase your performance, if possible.”

Verstappen may not need Lawson’s help, but they both need Red Bull’s help.