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Verstappen dispels Red Bull F1 myth as he outlines wishlist for car

Max Verstappen has had his say on the Red Bull rumours

Cal Gaunt

Thursday 11 January 2024 20:57

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has asserted that he must also adjust to meet the requirements of his Red Bull car, countering suggestions that the vehicle is more tailored to his driving style than that of his team-mates.

Over the last two seasons, Verstappen has showcased his prowess in maximising the potential of his Red Bull machinery, securing 34 wins and dominating the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

In contrast, team-mate Sergio Perez faced challenges in keeping pace with the car's development and finding optimal setups.

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Despite speculation about the Red Bulls being tailored to Verstappen's style, he dismissed this notion in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.

Max Verstappen has hit back at suggestions Red Bull set their cars up to suit only him

Sergio Perez was unable to keep pace with Max Verstappen in 2023

Max: There's lots I want

Verstappen emphasised that, like any driver, he must adapt his driving style to push the car to its limits effectively.

"When people ask you: ‘What is your driving style?’, I can’t tell you because it’s about being able to adapt to certain situations or what the car likes as well," Verstappen told Motorsport.

"What do I want? I want more grip. There’s a lot of things that you want, some things are not realistic. So, I just adapt to the car that I get given."

"Throughout the year, the team just applies upgrades to the car to make it faster. Not to try and follow a certain balance direction or whatever," he added.

"It’s just overall load, overall grip, that you gain from upgrades. I’m quite happy with the behaviour of the car, but if the car is a little bit more understeery I have to adapt my driving to that. Or if it’s more oversteery it’s the same way.

"I think it’s been quite okay. Some races anyway you have more oversteer or more understeer. It’s very up and down in terms of balance, it’s not always on the nose. Some tracks you cannot run it like that."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Formula 1 Sergio Perez motorsport.com