Formula 1 double world champion Max Verstappen has angrily defended himself against repeated speculation that Red Bull would provide him with a better F1 car than his teammate.
F1 icon Martin Brundle has raised it, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has let it slip and most recently Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff brought the rumor back to the table that Max Verstappen could possibly have a better car than his colleague Sergio Pérez.
The Austrian had said to the “GPBlog”, among other things, that the distance between Verstappen and Pérez was “strange” and downright “bizarre”. The double world champion is currently 138 points ahead of the second-placed Mexican in the drivers’ standings.
“Checo is not an idiot,” Wolff wondered, “we’ve seen that in recent years.” Pérez is a “multiple Grand Prix winner,” emphasized the Mercedes team boss, adding: “I can’t understand it.” And further: “I haven’t heard any obvious explanations, but it’s strange.”
Unsurprisingly, Verstappen reacted unenthusiastically in a media interview before the upcoming Italian Grand Prix in Monza when he was asked about the indirect assumptions and conspiracy theories surrounding the F1 team. Those were “bullshit comments,” said the Red Bull pilot, adding: “It’s not like that at all.”
Verstappen: My Formula 1 driving style is adaptation
Instead, he just drives the current car and the cars of the past few years “as quickly as possible,” Verstappen said. “I don’t come in to tell the guys to do more for me because I like it that way,” said the Dutchman, referring to the Red Bull mechanics.
Instead, his requirement for the Red Bull team is clear: “‘Design the fastest car and then I’ll adapt,'” Verstappen revealed his words, “because the car drives a little differently every year.”
Therefore, the question of his driving style is not easy to answer. “I adapt to what I need to make the car go fast”.
Apparently with success: Verstappen has already secured the world championship title in the last two years, and in 2023 he is on the way to winning the World Cup in the RB19. It is virtually impossible for the Dutchman to be knocked off the throne.