The uncompromising management style that Red Bull applies to its drivers is nothing new in Formula 1. The latest victim of this approach has been Liam Lawson, who was moved aside to make room for Yuki Tsunoda. Stepping in to defend the New Zealander was former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari, someone who knows all too well what it means to be pushed out by Helmut Marko.
“Verstappen is probably the best driver to ever race in Formula 1”
Jaime Alguersuari reflected on his own experience and openly defended Lawson, saying that the young driver had been placed in an extremely difficult situation. According to him, “Liam is a rookie, he didn’t know the car, he didn’t know the team, he didn’t know the circuits, so he simply needed more time. He didn’t perform as badly as it might seem. It was expected that he would struggle at the beginning and improve as the season progressed. You cannot go from being a hero to being considered the worst driver on the grid in just two races.”
The Spaniard stressed how modern Formula 1 is more sensitive than ever to fine details, both technically and mentally. As he explained, “F1 today is based on very small details. You have to put the tyres in the right operating window, otherwise you have no grip and you can lose four or five tenths instantly. Formula 1 has become extremely psychological. Recovering from these setbacks is just a matter of strengthening your mind.”
Max Verstappen as an unbeatable benchmark and Yuki Tsunoda’s opportunity
Jaime Alguersuari then analysed the internal context at Red Bull, a team completely shaped around the dominance of Max Verstappen. He stated, “Over the course of 24 races, no one will be faster than Max Verstappen in that team. He is probably the best driver to have ever raced in Formula 1. His ability to handle an understeering or oversteering car is simply on another level.”
He also dismissed the idea that the Red Bull car is designed specifically to suit Max Verstappen’s preferences, clarifying that the philosophy behind the RB chassis is purely performance-driven. As he put it, “The car is built to be as fast as possible. Max is aggressive and loves pointy cars, because a pointy car is always the fastest. Whoever you put in the other car will struggle, because no one else can drive that machine with the same configuration.” – the Spanish former racing driver and broadcaster concluded.
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