Max Verstappen has said the name of the driver in the other Red Bull cockpit is far less important than the car itself as he looks to retain the Drivers’ title.

The Dutchman won his fourth championship in 2024 and did so by dragging an underperforming RB20 to the front – but he has warned that fixing the car is the biggest challenge the Milton Keynes team face.

Max Verstappen says car, not Liam Lawson, key to Red Bull F1 2025 chances

Despite a bright start, the RB20 fell away over the course of the season and ended the year as arguably the third quickest car behind Ferrari and McLaren.

But with the points reset to zero, Verstappen knows that the most important aspect to Red Bull’s season will be the car itself, not his new team-mate Liam Lawson.

“If we can get the car back to the front, the name in the other cockpit won’t matter,” he told Blick.

“I don’t have a crystal ball, but if we can rectify certain weaknesses over the winter, we’ll be back at the front. But I’m certainly not making any predictions here.

“Five teams should be fighting at the front. The weaknesses have been narrowed down. We often lacked the necessary balance because we simply couldn’t get into the low temperature window.”

Not even Helmut Marko is expecting Lawson to be as quick as Verstappen but the 81-year-old Austrian laid out the clear target the New Zealander must achieve.

“He should be within three tenths of Max in both in qualifying and in the race,” Marko told RTL.

“That should be enough to get points for the Constructors’ Championship.

“He should also steadily increase his performance – if possible.”

Verstappen’s statement came during talk of the team-mates he has during his time at Red Bull with Lawson being the fifth different partner Verstappen has had since joining in 2016.

But as for who is the best, Verstappen named the man he first shared the Red Bull garage with.

“Definitely Daniel Ricciardo, I was able to learn the most from him,” the 27-year-old said.

“I absorbed a lot and incorporated it into my experiences.”

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As for his departing team-mate Sergio Perez, Verstappen said he was “always loyal”, a quality the Dutchman appreciated.

“It’s a shame because we were a good team for four years – and Sergio was always loyal.

“That’s a quality I really appreciate.”