Bréaking: Verstappen admission sparks UNUSUAL Red Bull second driver demand…Read more
Verstappen admission sparks UNUSUAL Red Bull second driver demand
Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko has made a surprising statement regarding the team’s second driver role alongside Max Verstappen for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Verstappen, who recently secured his fourth championship title in Las Vegas, has had a dominant season, despite a brief dip in performance earlier this year.
He returned to form with a commanding win at the Qatar Grand Prix, claiming his ninth victory of the campaign ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.
Meanwhile, his teammate Sergio Perez has struggled significantly. Perez recorded another disappointing result at the Lusail International Circuit, failing to finish for the second time in three races.
His poor performance since mid-May, amassing just 49 points during that time, has led to mounting speculation about his future with Red Bull, despite signing a contract extension earlier in the year.
As the team looks ahead to 2025, names like Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson—both part of Red Bull’s development program—have been linked with the potential vacancy.
However, Marko’s recent comments suggest that whoever joins Verstappen will need to fully accept a secondary role within the team.
Speaking to De Telegraaf, Marko emphasized Verstappen’s unparalleled status at Red Bull, stating the team’s focus is solely on him.
He contrasted this with other teams where strong driver pairings, such as Leclerc and Hamilton at Ferrari or Norris and Piastri at McLaren, could lead to internal competition and point-sharing.
“At Ferrari, Hamilton and Leclerc will likely take points off each other, and the same could happen at McLaren with Norris and Piastri,” said Marko.“At Mercedes, their stability is still in question.
For Red Bull, it’s only about Max. There’s no other driver in our system who fits into our environment and could also become champion.”
Marko’s comments underscore Red Bull’s commitment to maximizing Verstappen’s dominance, making the second driver’s role less about competing for titles and more about supporting the team’s star driver.
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