Webber brands Perez a 'magician' after Lawson's tough Red Bull tenure
When Liam Lawson arrives in Suzuka next week, he will no longer be stepping into the Red Bull Racing garage. After being sidelined in favour of Yuki Tsunoda, the New Zealander now faces the challenge of proving himself at sister team Racing Bulls. Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber believes that Lawson’s best approach is to stay calm if he wants to revive his Formula 1 career.
No doubt Lawson is disappointed. But, as Mark Webber pointed out on the Formula for Success podcast, he must now make the most out of his opportunity with Racing Bulls: "He needs the vice released because he's going to have a chance to cool his jets a bit, go back to the smaller team where he's got some experience with already," Webber began.
Webber: Perez is now looking like a 'magician'
Only Verstappen knows how to get the most out of Red Bull's challenger, similar to last year's RB20. Still, Webber believes that Perez did not do as badly as people first thought in 2024. "Max is the only one that can extract the lap time out of that car. I mean, Sergio, for certain races last year is now looking like a magician. So it's interesting just what they do there. I mean, it's a few tenths, three or four-tenths is a huge gap in our business. But Liam is not connecting with that car, so hasn't connected with that car. Can he go and just find his feet in the career and get going and get in the smaller team?"
Webber is also eager to see how Yuki Tsunoda will handle the challenge of driving alongside Verstappen in Red Bull’s notoriously difficult-to-master car. "If Yuki doesn't fire up in this other car, what happens then? If they're all on the ropes, that's going to be a very interesting dynamic." Webber explained.
Yuki Tsunoda makes his debut with Red Bull at his home race in Japan next weekend, at the legendary Suzuka Circuit.
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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The description, “built around”, is subject to interpretation. All cars are literally tailored to the drivers in terms of their fit and steering wheel layout, but also the cars’ handling characteristics are adjusted to the preferences of the drivers. There is also a prioritization of team strategy that places more emphasis on the driver who is ahead on the track and ultimately, the one who is ahead in points or the one whose season total may need some help. For RedBull, Max Verstappen is so much faster than his teammates ever since he joined the team, it behooves RB to maximize Verstappen’s advantages at virtually all times in all decisions. And more, it has been discussed and assumed that there are car characteristics that favor Max’s driving style and actually slow his teammates. This is where the words, “built around”, really mean something and the dislikers enter the debate. The general characteristic that favors a few very fast drivers is less understeer or even a touch of oversteer. It has been described as a rear that is less well planted, or is more lively, etc. It’s also the fastest way to round a circuit. Notable drivers that have been said to do well with this kind of car are Hamilton, Verstappen Leclerc, Schumacher. Other drivers don’t like the unpredictability that undermines confidence. Max Verstappen is a generational talent with only Lewis Hamilton as a more or less equal on the current grid. It's okay that people don't agree, it will rub them the wrong way, the truth usually does.
Where does the article describe the car as been "built around" Verstappen? It's nowhere there.
You referred to a "description," not a common theme. I was wondering what "description" you were referring to that prompted your comment.
There are those who claim Red Bull created their car around Max. That is described here time and time again. Either directly in the article, between the lines or veiled (usually as an insult) in the comments.
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