Being Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull is proving to be mission impossible for all the drivers Helmut Marko has lined up to partner the four-time Formula 1 World Champion.
After the failed Liam Lawson promotion and the 'hail Mary' experiment with Yuki Tsunoda, it is becoming increasingly clear that Sergio Perez, who was fired by Red Bull last year, was the best of them all. Former F1 driver Rubens Barrichello agrees.
The Brazilian admitted to eating humble pie during a recent interview: "Being in the sister car to Max Verstappen is the toughest job in F1. There's a lot of pressure in it. Unfortunately, you don't get the respect when you perform in that role.
"I honestly believed, from the bottom of my heart, that Sergio Perez was not the right person to drive alongside Verstappen at Red Bull, but he ended up doing so well. He showed he's the right person to do that role. He won Monaco with Verstappen as his teammate.
"Red Bull may have waited too long to get rid of him, but he proved a lot of people wrong. When I see people talking badly about Perez, I defend him now. He did so well. Red Bull needed a change, and Perez needed it too," ventured Barrichello.
Tsunoda lacks the talent to match Verstappen
Verstappen, whose victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix again showed that even against McLaren, with two very formidable cars in the mix, is always able to conjure eyeball-popping performances that put his teammates in the shade.
Case in point being the latest 'victim' at Imola. Like many before him, Tsunoda lacks the talent to match Verstappen. While the Japanese driver did a good job to salvage a point in Italy after destroying his Red Bull in qualifying, it was hardly earth-shattering considering Max won the race.
Stats show that after the final ten-lap sprint that decided the race at Imola on Sunday, Tsunoda was 26 seconds behind his teammate. And all weekend, the Japanese driver was simply nowhere. When Red Bull spindoctors claimed he "improved," they were reading the wrong timesheets.
Barrichello, an 11-time Grand Prix winner, gave his theory on why Max is performing at such a high level these days: "Verstappen is a happy guy, he's enjoying life and you can see the emotion when he puts the Red Bull on pole. He's getting more out of the car than what it should produce.
"Verstappen has gratitude for what the car used to be able to produce, which makes a good combination. For sure, he's a driver who won't be short of offers to join rival teams, but I don't think that will dominate his thoughts. He's focused on producing results now," explained Barrichello.
Why would Max depart Red Bull for Aston Martin?
Talk of Verstappen walking away from Red Bull before his contract comes to a close at the end of 2028 may have spurred the team to produce upgrades to the RB21 that played nice at Imola, resulting in another victory against the odds and a massive humbling of McLaren's highly rated duo, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
One imagines that as long as Red Bull delivers a car that Max can win with, he will be staying put. Although Verstappen could walk into any team at any time, why would he leave before the pecking order in 2026 is established?
Among the teams ready to break the bank for his services is Lawrence Stroll's Aston Martin outfit, which Barrichello sees as a possible destination for Verstappen: "You would say right now, Aston Martin is a good place to be for the future, so Max will be thinking about that at some point. But Formula 1 is a clever world, and it's amazing how they can develop their cars.
"I was a pain in the arse as a driver, because when the engineer would tell me they've made a change to the car, I would be really critical. Now, you can appreciate that they can make machines fly past so quickly. It's amazing," concluded Barrichello.
(Quotes supplied by PokerScout)
Verstappen's teammates over the years
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (2015–2016): Both rookies in 2015, Verstappen and Sainz were evenly matched in qualifying, but Verstappen outscored Sainz in points during their time together. The Dutchman was picked over the Spaniard by Red Bull.
- Daniel Ricciardo (2016–2018): Initially, Ricciardo had the upper hand, finishing ahead in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. However, Verstappen outperformed Ricciardo in 2018, leading to Ricciardo's departure from the team.
- Pierre Gasly (2019): Promoted from Toro Rosso, Gasly struggled to match Verstappen's performance and was replaced mid-season.
- Alexander Albon (2019–2020): Took over from Gasly mid-2019. Despite some promising performances, Albon couldn't consistently challenge Verstappen and was replaced after the 2020 season.
- Sergio Pérez (2021–2024): Brought experience to the team, securing multiple wins and supporting Verstappen's championship campaigns. However, inconsistent performances led to his replacement after the 2024 season.
- Liam Lawson (2025): Promoted for the start of the 2025 season but was replaced after just two races due to underperformance.
- Yuki Tsunoda (2025–present): Stepped up from the sister team to partner Verstappen from the Japanese Grand Prix onward in 2025. How long will he last?
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