Christian Horner has revealed why Red Bull drivers repeatedly struggled alongside Max Verstappen, explaining how the team’s car development philosophy, premature promotions and intense internal pressure made the second seat one of the most difficult positions in Formula 1. The former Red Bull team principal has also disclosed a revealing episode from 2022, when Sergio Perez initially matched Max Verstappen because the car had been developed with characteristics the Dutchman disliked.
For years, one question has dominated discussions about Red Bull’s driver management: why did talented drivers such as Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson suddenly appear less competitive after joining the senior team? Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Christian Horner offered a detailed explanation of the technical and sporting circumstances behind their difficulties, while acknowledging that mistakes were made in how some young drivers were promoted and managed.
His account highlights two interconnected problems. Red Bull increasingly developed cars around the exceptional driving characteristics of Max Verstappen, while several of his teammates arrived before they had gained enough experience to handle the demands of a championship-contending team.
Christian Horner explains why Red Bull cars became so difficult for Verstappen’s teammates
The first part of Christian Horner’s explanation concerns Max Verstappen’s extraordinary ability to adapt to cars with particularly demanding handling characteristics. According to the former team principal, the Dutchman’s preference for an extremely responsive front end, combined with his ability to control an unstable rear axle, gradually influenced the direction of Red Bull’s technical development.
“Max is extremely demanding in what he wants from the car and has an extraordinary ability: he always wants more front end and can manage whatever the rear does,” Christian Horner explained. “In trying to give him the tool he wants, inevitably the technical department, the development systems and the design priorities move towards those characteristics. But for other drivers, they become difficult to manage.”
This is one of the most revealing aspects of Christian Horner’s account. Red Bull’s cars progressively evolved towards Max Verstappen’s preferences, not necessarily because of a deliberate political decision within the team, but because engineers naturally sought to maximise the potential of their fastest driver.
“Any technical department naturally tends to listen to its fastest driver, and every team tries to prioritise whoever can deliver the best result.”
Christian Horner traced the beginning of this process back to 2018, when Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen were still teammates. Until then, Red Bull’s cars had been relatively manageable, allowing both drivers to perform at comparable levels.
Over time, however, the handling characteristics became increasingly extreme. The sharper front-end response favoured by Max Verstappen made the cars more difficult for drivers who preferred a more conventional balance, particularly when the rear became unpredictable.
The explanation also illustrates why Max Verstappen’s driving characteristics have played such a central role in Red Bull’s technical direction. His ability to exploit a car that other drivers find difficult gives engineers greater freedom to pursue performance in areas that might otherwise create handling compromises.
The 2022 Red Bull that Sergio Perez liked but Max Verstappen hated
Perhaps the most surprising revelation concerns the beginning of the 2022 Formula 1 season, when Sergio Perez was considerably closer to Max Verstappen than he would be later in their partnership.
Christian Horner explained that the origins of this situation could be traced back to 2021, when Red Bull was fighting Mercedes for the world championship. During that period, Alex Albon was working extensively in the simulator to help develop the car for Formula 1’s incoming technical regulations.
“Alex did an extraordinary job behind the scenes developing the 2022 car. He helped develop it following a more conventional driving style, probably closer to Sergio’s or Daniel’s.”
As a result, the initial version of Red Bull’s 2022 challenger had handling characteristics that were very different from those preferred by Max Verstappen.
“When 2022 started, Max hated that car: it had too much understeer. Sergio, thanks to the car’s predictability, was suddenly competitive; at the beginning of the season, they had won one race each and were much closer.”
The situation eventually prompted direct intervention from Max Verstappen’s management team. Christian Horner recalled a meeting around the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when the Dutchman’s representatives made their concerns about the direction of development clear.
“I remember a meeting with Max’s management around the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. They basically told me: ‘You’ve developed this car around Checo, you need to follow what Max needs.’ The message was very clear.”
Red Bull subsequently shifted its development priorities towards the characteristics requested by Max Verstappen. Christian Horner considered that decision understandable because the Dutchman represented the team’s strongest opportunity to win the world championship.
However, the change also helps explain why Sergio Perez gradually encountered greater difficulties as the season progressed. A car that initially offered predictable handling increasingly moved towards the sharper front-end response and greater rear instability that Max Verstappen could exploit more effectively.
It was not simply a question of one driver becoming faster while another lost ability. The technical characteristics of the car were evolving in a direction that increasingly favoured one driving style over the other.
Why Christian Horner believes Gasly, Albon and Lawson joined Red Bull too early
The second major issue identified by Christian Horner concerns Red Bull’s approach to developing young drivers. The former team principal acknowledged that he disagreed with Helmut Marko over the speed at which certain members of the junior programme were promoted to the senior team.
“Alex arrived too early. Gasly arrived too early. Lawson arrived too early. They needed more time to develop.”
According to Christian Horner, Red Bull’s determination to demonstrate the effectiveness of its junior programme sometimes resulted in promotions taking place before drivers were sufficiently prepared for the challenge.
“There was a determination to choose drivers from the Red Bull junior programme because, I think in Helmut’s view, the programme wouldn’t justify its existence without rapid promotions. In my opinion, sometimes they happened before the youngsters were ready.”
Christian Horner compared this approach with the career development of George Russell, who spent three seasons at Williams before moving to Mercedes.
That period allowed George Russell to develop his skills and gain experience away from the immediate pressure of a team fighting for world championships. Red Bull’s young drivers, by contrast, faced an entirely different situation when they were promoted.
“They were thrown into a top team, in a difficult car, against a generational talent. In those conditions, it was almost impossible to succeed. And when you enter a top team, the media attention and pressure increase enormously.”
The comparison underlines the importance of giving young drivers sufficient time to develop before expecting them to compete against established champions. While George Russell benefited from several seasons of experience before joining Mercedes, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Liam Lawson faced the immediate challenge of measuring themselves against Max Verstappen.
Christian Horner also recalled the psychological consequences of those experiences, particularly when drivers found themselves unable to match their teammate’s performances.
“I remember Pierre being lapped in Austria and Hungary, in two consecutive races: he was devastated. And at the beginning of last year, you could see the price Liam was paying. For me, the reason was always the same: they had arrived too quickly.”
Christian Horner reveals disagreements with Helmut Marko over Red Bull’s driver system
Christian Horner’s comments also exposed a fundamental difference in philosophy within Red Bull’s management structure.
Helmut Marko favoured a particularly demanding approach, based on the belief that drivers capable of succeeding at the highest level should be able to withstand intense pressure from an early stage. Christian Horner, however, believed that some young drivers needed greater protection and more time to develop.
“Helmut sees things in very clear-cut terms: if you can’t handle the pressure, you’ll never succeed. In one respect, he was right: the two drivers who managed to withstand it, Sebastian and Max, both became world champions.”
Nevertheless, Christian Horner acknowledged that the same philosophy could have serious consequences for drivers who were not immediately successful.
“Red Bull offered enormous opportunities, but the way they were managed could be brutal: you were the favourite of the moment, until you weren’t anymore.”
The former team principal clarified that he never had direct control over Red Bull’s junior driver programme, although he could contribute to assessments and recommend certain drivers.
He also highlighted his efforts to help drivers rebuild their careers after failing to establish themselves alongside Max Verstappen. In particular, Christian Horner recalled his involvement in helping Alex Albon secure an opportunity with Williams after the difficulties encountered during his time at Red Bull.
The comments provide an insight into the internal tensions surrounding Red Bull’s driver development system. While the programme produced world champions such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, Christian Horner believes its uncompromising approach sometimes undermined the prospects of other talented drivers.
Why the Red Bull second seat became an almost impossible challenge
Christian Horner’s explanation does not diminish the achievements of Max Verstappen. Instead, it highlights one of the qualities that distinguishes the Dutchman from many of his rivals: his ability to extract performance from cars with exceptionally responsive front ends while accepting levels of rear instability that other drivers struggle to manage.
That driving ability gave Red Bull’s engineers a clear development direction. As the team continued to pursue the characteristics that allowed its leading driver to deliver the strongest results, the technical demands placed on his teammates became increasingly severe.
The situation was compounded by the pressure of competing for a leading Formula 1 team. Young drivers were expected to produce results almost immediately, often without the experience required to manage such demanding machinery or the intense scrutiny that accompanied their performances.
Christian Horner’s account therefore offers a different perspective on the struggles experienced by Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson. Their difficulties were not simply the result of being unable to compete against an exceptional teammate. They were amplified by a highly specific technical philosophy, development pathways that were sometimes incomplete and a team environment in which patience was limited.
The revelations also help explain why Max Verstappen remains such a central figure in Red Bull’s long-term plans, with the team’s ability to provide competitive machinery continuing to play an important role in its relationship with the Dutch driver.
Ultimately, the second Red Bull seat was not difficult solely because Max Verstappen occupied the other side of the garage. It was difficult because the team’s technical development, sporting priorities and driver management increasingly revolved around his extraordinary abilities, creating an environment in which even highly talented teammates faced an exceptionally demanding challenge.
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