Max Verstappen has taken the majority of points for Red Bull during the 2025 season, illustrating a significant performance gap with his teammates. The ongoing Max Verstappen teammate performance gap has sparked discussions beyond just the car’s technical features. Former <a href="https://www.buzzineintl.com/category/motorsports/indycar/”>IndyCar driver and current Formula 1 analyst James Hinchcliffe highlighted on the Red Flags podcast that this discrepancy involves more complex factors than just equipment.
Liam Lawson initially occupied the second Red Bull seat at the start of the season, but his underwhelming results in the opening rounds led to his demotion to Racing Bulls, with Yuki Tsunoda stepping into the role. Although Tsunoda demonstrated promising potential early on, he soon encountered the same issues that tend to affect drivers in this position at the Milton Keynes-based team. The difficulties are often attributed to the narrow performance window Verstappen exploits, yet age and specifications of car parts also influence results.
Impact of Vehicle Specifications on Yuki Tsunoda’s Performance
After a crash during qualifying at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Tsunoda reverted to an older car specification, which complicated his ability to close the gap with Verstappen. However, recent upgrades aligned his RB21 closer in performance to the reigning world champion’s car. At the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, Tsunoda’s performance delta decreased significantly, although he was eliminated in Q1.
James Hinchcliffe noted that Tsunoda’s improved showing came after Red Bull updated the floor of his car, a late adjustment reflecting an upgrade schedule discrepancy between the two Red Bull drivers. Hinchcliffe emphasized this point by saying,
“It seems that more often than not there is a slight difference in the upgrade schedule between the two Red Bull cars, and it’s something that Checo sort of talked about, but a lot of people didn’t give a lot of credence to. And like Yuki, they rushed that floor for him in Hungary and he qualified the closest I think timewise that he has to Max all year.”
—James Hinchcliffe, F1 Analyst
He added,
“Unfortunately for him, the relative pace of the team wasn’t very good. But, when he had the same spec everything, all of a sudden he was a little bit closer… And that’s not obviously to take anything away from Max. I think everybody knows and understands what Max is doing right now and what he’s capable of, but the second seat I don’t think is an apples-to-apples comparison if I’m honest.”
—James Hinchcliffe, F1 Analyst
This context highlights how subtle technical factors and timing of upgrades affect a teammate’s ability to compete evenly with Verstappen.
Max Verstappen’s Dominance in the 2025 Season
The 2025 season has seen Max Verstappen dominate Red Bull‘s points tally, securing two race victories, five podium finishes, a sprint race win, and four pole positions to reach 187 points. His commanding form has overshadowed his teammates’ results, as Yuki Tsunoda has only added seven points since joining the team at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Currently sitting 18th in the Drivers’ Championship, Tsunoda’s limited points reflect the challenge of bridging the gap to Verstappen, despite stronger car specifications recently. Red Bull has thus far amassed 194 points, underscoring Verstappen’s overwhelming contribution to the team’s success in 2025.
What the Future Holds for Red Bull’s Second Seat
The continuing performance gap associated with the Max Verstappen teammate performance gap places pressure on Red Bull to identify and resolve the underlying issues ahead of the 2026 season. Closing this disparity could prove critical, as optimizing the second driver’s output will be essential for maximizing Red Bull’s title defenses and overall team performance.
With technical updates, driver development, and strategic decisions all playing a role, the upcoming season may offer further clarity on whether Red Bull can level the playing field for its second seat and secure a more balanced team effort moving forward.