"All of a sudden he was a little bit closer": Expert suggests there's more to Max Verstappen's teammates deficit to him than what meets the eye

Max Verstappen has scored the majority of the points for Red Bull in 2025 so far, with the second Red Bull seat not offering great opportunities for the squad inside the top-10. However, former IndyCar driver and F1 analyst James Hinchcliffe shared how the car's characteristics are not the sole reason that holds back Yuki Tsunoda, as the deficit could be down to more multifaceted reasons.

Liam Lawson began as the driver in the second Red Bull seat at the start of the season. But, his dismal performances in the first two rounds were enough for the Austrian giant to demote him Racing Bulls and call-up Yuki Tsunoda to the job.

While the initial signs showcased that the Japanese driver was up to the task, he soon fell prey to the problems that the second seat at Milton Keynes usually faces. Though many reckoned it to Verstappen being able to extract more performance with a narrow working window, the 25-year-old was also running older parts on his RB21.

After his shunt during the qualifying for the Emilia Romagna GP, Tsunoda was on a previous specification of the car. This changed over the past few weekends, and during the qualifying for the Hungarian GP, it was seen that he was closer to Max Verstappen in his performance delta.

Unfortunately, that gap knocked him out in Q1, but it showcased how being on the latest specification of the RB21 helped him, as Hinchliffe said on the Red Flags podcast:

"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. (1:20:08 onwards)

"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."

Red Bull has amassed 194 points in the 2025 season due to Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda's contributions.

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Max Verstappen is leading Red Bull in the 2025 season

Max Verstappen at the 2025 qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty

Though both Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda have contributed to Red Bull's points tally, the intra-team affair has been whitewashed by the Dutchman. The reigning champion has scored two race wins, five podiums, a sprint race victory, and four pole positions, which has helped him amass 187 points.

On the other hand, Yuki Tsunoda's arrival from the Japanese GP onwards has only yielded seven points. This has held back the 25-year-old in the Drivers' standings, as he sits 18th on the table.

Red Bull would have to find a resolution to the second seat deficit that it carries heading into the 2026 season, when a team can easily make or break its title hopes.