Max Verstappen's Red Bull RB19 is 'not easy to drive' insist F1 experts

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Verstappen's Red Bull 'not easy to drive' insist F1 experts

Max Verstappen makes the Red Bull RB19 look easy to drive

Jay Winter

Saturday 2 December 2023 11:57

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As the Formula 1 season concludes with Red Bull's RB19 statistically hailed as the most dominant car in the sport's history, F1 pundit Tom Clarkson has offered a surprising insight, asserting that the car is 'not easy to drive,' challenging the perception of its seeming invincibility.

With Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez collecting Red Bull's first ever one-two finish in the drivers' championship, one may assume that the RB19, crafted by the genius Adrian Newey, is the main reason for such a one-sided season.

However, on the F1 Nation podcast, F1 expert Tom Clarkson believes teams who will be looking to rein in Red Bull may be surprised at just how difficult it is to tame a car as quick as theirs.

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"I feel that these teams are going to have a bit of a shock," said Clarkson after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"I think they all think the Red Bull is really easy to drive, and it's clearly not.

"I was chatting to Daniel Riccardo, he says at low speed, the Red Bull is not easy to drive, and Max has said that himself as well.

"So there's no magic bullet."

Red Bull managed to win all but one F1 Grand Prix in 2023

Max Verstappen now boasts the highest win percentage in F1 history (86.35%)

Former F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa echoed similar sentiments, emphasising that the RB19's difficulty is not an isolated case but reflective of the challenges posed by the current generation of F1 cars.

"I think that obviously the Red Bull is not an easy car," said De la Rosa.

"I mean, that's for sure. I think that Checo’s performances prove that point.

"However, I don't think that any car on the grid is easy to drive nowadays with the ground effect because all these cars with speed move the aero balance forward massively."

It's tricky to tame modern F1 cars

Max Verstappen celebrating his 19th win in the 2023 F1 season

In a broader context, de la Rosa highlighted the inherent trade-offs in car setups due to the demands of different types of tracks.

"So you will never have a perfectly balanced car in low, medium, and high-speed corners. If you are aiming at high-speed balance, you will have a very understeery car in medium and slow speed [corners]. So it's never going to be perfect."

De la Rosa went on to praise Verstappen's talent and skill.

"So I think that he's just proved to be a very, very special driver," said the Aston Martin ambassador.

"We are talking about one of the best drivers in Formula 1 history. That's how good Max Verstappen is."

Verstappen will now be recharging in the off-season in order to kick-start his pursuit of a fourth consecutive drivers' championship to equal fellow Red Bull legend Sebastian Vettel.