'He can make it look great': Former F1 driver lauds Max Verstappen amid his defence of ‘not that bad’ Red Bull car

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has given his thoughts on the RB21, Red Bull Racing's 2025 car piloted by four-time World Champion Max Verstappen. Montoya's opinion regarding the car is that its performance is not as poor as some might say, and the Dutchman's ability to make the car look good has to do with the fact that the car was built for him.

So far this season, Max Verstappen has been able to score a total of 36 points over the last two races with the RB21, while his teammate, Liam Lawson, has consistently finished races out of the points.

The former F1 driver pointed out that the Red Bull Racing vehicle has been built keeping Max Verstappen in mind, his driving style and preferences.

"I actually don't think the Red Bull car is that bad. It's built for Max, so he can make it look great. But what I'm saying is, the car is built for him. Everything is done for him, think of his driving style and his taste," Montoya was quoted as saying by racingnews365.

According to Montoya, this philosophy has also caused problems for the Austrian team, especially when it comes to their second driver.

"If you have one person who is comfortable and one person who is not comfortable, that's a big difference. That's exactly the problem with Red Bull," he added.

The ex-McLaren driver was possibly referring to the performance of Lawson, who qualified in 18th place for the season-opener in Melbourne, Australia, but failed to finish after a crash in the rain ended his RBR debut. Last weekend in Shanghai, the Kiwi driver qualified in last place in the Sprint and the Grand Prix and was able to convert that into a no-points finish.

Meanwhile, in Australia, Verstappen qualified in third place and finished in second. In China, he qualified second in the Sprint and fourth in the Grand Prix, finishing those events in third and fourth place, respectively.

"Max is not happy": Red Bull boss reveals Max Verstappen's feelings regarding driver swap

Dr Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 16, 2025 - Source: Getty

Earlier this week, it was announced that Yuki Tsunoda would be moving up from Red Bull's sister team, VCARB, to take Liam Lawson's place beside Max Verstappen after the Kiwi driver's poor performances at the start of the season. Now, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that the reigning world champion is not thrilled with the move, which was also hinted at from the Dutchman's liking of a post criticizing Lawson's demotion.

Marko, however, believes that it's more important to have two high-performing drivers together for the success of Verstappen and the team.

"We know Max is not happy. But we need two cars at the front. Not only for the constructors' championship, but also to help Max get his fifth world title," said Marko. [via ESPN]

Yuki Tsunoda will join Max Verstappen at the Japanese Grand Prix, which will take place from April 4-6.