How Max Verstappen turned every teammate into a benchmark. Max Verstappen has consistently outperformed every Red Bull teammate.

Max Verstappen: the unstoppable force of Formula One

Over a decade of internal rivalries tells the story of how Max Verstappen has gradually transformed every teammate from a technical rival into a structural benchmark. After more than ten years in Formula 1, four world championships, 71 wins, and a long list of records, Max Verstappen is not just the technical reference point for Red Bull: he has become the standard by which anyone sharing his garage is measured. Season after season, kilometer after kilometer, this comparison has become increasingly decisive, ultimately turning into a near-verdict for each teammate who lined up alongside him.

The early balance phase

Verstappen’s first real test came in 2015 at Toro Rosso, where the young talent from Hasselt debuted alongside Carlos Sainz in an all-rookie pairing. The numbers show a balanced rivalry, both in qualifying and in races, with Sainz slightly more solid in experience and Verstappen more incisive at critical moments. By 2016, however, the balance began to tip even before Verstappen’s early promotion to Red Bull’s main team.

Moving to the senior Red Bull team opened the most formative chapter in Max Verstappen’s career: his partnership with Daniel Ricciardo. In 2016, Ricciardo still had the edge overall, but Verstappen’s immediate impact—winning on his debut in Barcelona after Hamilton and Rosberg collided—shifted the internal perception. Between 2017 and 2018, the trend reversed: Verstappen became more consistent, faster in qualifying, and stronger over race distance, while Ricciardo, also hindered by reliability issues, gradually lost ground, eventually leaving the team.

The Red Bull powerhouse phase

From that moment on, the internal comparison ceased to be an even duel. Pierre Gasly, promoted in 2019, struggled from the start, consistently losing both in single-lap pace and race performance. Alex Albon, who took over mid-season, showed more consistency but never approached Verstappen’s level, particularly in qualifying, where the gap became structural in 2020.

The arrival of Sergio Perez in 2021 represented Red Bull’s most rational attempt to pair Max Verstappen with an experienced and functional teammate. The Mexican played a supportive role effectively, contributing decisively to both Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships, but the direct comparison remained heavily skewed. With the introduction of the new generation cars in 2022, Max Verstappen further elevated his level, while Perez, despite absolute improvements, could not close the gap. By 2023 and 2024, the distance was almost embarrassing: Verstappen dominant, Sergio Perez progressively struggling until their separation at the end of the season.

The recent teammates and systemic dominance

The brief stints of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda in 2025 confirmed this pattern. Both struggled to adapt to a car tailored to Max Verstappen’s characteristics, unable to find consistency or benchmark performances in direct comparison. In both cases, the statistical balance was harsh, leading to a rapid reassessment of their roles.

The common thread emerging from this roster of teammates is clear: Verstappen does more than just beat whoever drives the other Red Bull—he redefines operational limits. Over the years, the internal comparison has evolved from being technical and competitive to structural and almost systemic.

Now it will be up to Isack Hadjar to face this challenge. History suggests that the issue will not be his talent—there is no shortage—but his ability to survive sportingly alongside a driver who, more than anyone else on the current grid, has turned internal rivalry into an extension of his dominance. Verstappen is a driver whose car has always been designed around him, placing him at the very center of Red Bull’s technical strategy.

Max Verstappen’s decade-long evolution at Red Bull has turned the second seat in Milton Keynes into the most formidable challenge in modern motorsport, where teammates are often reduced to structural benchmarks rather than competitive rivals. As Isack Hadjar prepares to step into this high-pressure environment for 2026, the historical data suggests that surviving the “Verstappen effect” requires more than just raw speed; it demands the mental resilience to operate in the shadow of a driver who has successfully integrated his own talent into the very DNA of the team’s technical development.