Max Verstappen has revealed his preference when it comes to the set-up of a Formula 1 car, citing his driving style might not suit others including his team-mates.
Verstappen has dominated successive team-mates at Red Bull, and the Dutchman is notorious for excelling with an oversteer-heavy car and a sensitive front end.
In recent terms, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and Sergio Perez have all struggled in Red Bull’s second seat, with Perez’s struggles in 2024 a headline story this season.
“For my part, I simply like it when the front of the car turns well,” Verstappen told Formula.hu at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“I like it to turn in quickly and very definitely, but of course, everything has to be in balance.
“We can’t just put everything on the front axle and expect the rear of the car to follow suit.
“You have to try to find the middle ground, but of course, it is possible that my middle ground is different from others.”
Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Championship at the mid-point of the 2024 season, but Red Bull’s package has been less dominant than in previous campaigns.
Notably, Perez’s ailing form has brought McLaren and Mercedes back into the championship fight, and the champions haven’t won a race since Spain in June.
Verstappen has suggested that his driving style might not suit team-mate Perez, but the three-time F1 title winner is adamant that it’s not the only way to go fast.
“Everyone has their own driving style, so what works for me might not work for someone else,” he added.
“But other drivers drive differently and they are also very fast.
“So for me, the way my car behaves is completely natural, because I like this kind of car, but maybe it is not favourable for others. That’s how it works.”
Team boss Christian Horner has previously refuted suggestions Red Bull favours Verstappen in designing its cars.
Comments made by Toto Wolff prompted Horner to respond, stating: “It shows a total lack of understanding of how a race car and team develop if Toto thinks that we’re developing a car around a single driver.
“You develop a car to be as quick as you can, and sometimes quick cars are difficult cars. That’s what’s historically been the case. And I think that drivers adapt.
But there’s certainly no direction to say ‘Oh, we tailor something to suit one specific driver’. We’re just trying to design and build the fastest car that we can… Our tools, our simulation and our wind tunnel provide us with that direction.”
Perez had helped Red Bull to early 1-2 finishes at the start of the 2024 season, with Helmut Marko revealing that Perez was entering race weekends with the same set-up as Verstappen.
“This year he is no longer experimenting, but is starting with more or less the same basic set-up as Max,” he revealed in March.
Since then, however, Perez’s form has taken a nose dive. After a decent run of opening races, he scored a paltry four points at Emilia-Romagna, followed by consecutive DNFs in Monaco and Canada.
He hasn’t finished a race higher than seventh since early May.
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