Steiner dismisses theory of Red Bull's car built around Verstappen

12:25, 17 Jul

Updated: 12:48, 17 Jul

byTobia Elia

Guenther Steiner doesn’t believe Max Verstappen’s overwhelming success compared to his teammates is down to a car built entirely around his needs.

One question that’s been asked time and again over the years is how Max Verstappen manages to outshine nearly every teammate he’s had at Red Bull by such a wide margin.

Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and now Yuki Tsunoda have all shared one thing in common: a massive performance gap to the four-time world champion, both in qualifying and on race day.

Over the years, the second Red Bull seat has turned into something of a curse. Sitting alongside a generational talent like Verstappen now feels more like a sporting death sentence than a golden opportunity to drive a title-winning car.

Max Verstappen at Silverstone

Verstappen is 'so bloody good', claims Steiner

But is it really true that Red Bull builds a car exclusively tailored to Verstappen’s needs? Not according to Guenther Steiner.

Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, the former Haas team principal was reminded of comments made by Alexander Albon in an old interview, where the Thai driver claimed the car’s weight distribution was heavily in Verstappen’s favour.

To which Steiner responded by saying: ''I think a lot of people jump to the conclusion at Red Bull that the car was developed for Max and this and that.''

''We always have to see also Alex, which I rate very highly as a driver... he failed at Red Bull, we need to be honest with that as well. He's a very good driver, and actually, he would be one I would take in my team.''

''I think that the Red Bull car was not designed for Max. The Red Bull car is what it is and the only one which can drive it is Max. I think Max would rather have a McLaren than a Red Bull.''

According to Steiner, examples like weight distribution and similar factors are simply excuses drivers use to justify the gap to Verstappen: ''Even if people say, oh, the weight distribution and all this.

''I think that's all a little bit just trying to find almost an excuse for why is Max so successful.' Max is so successful because he is so bloody good''.