Mind-set and Influence: What Makes Verstappen « Different » at Red Bull
Milton Keynes, 7 November 2025 – Ask anyone wearing a Red Bull badge what separates Max Verstappen from the six world champions who came before him and you get the same answer: “He drives the team, not just the car.” From refusing to follow simulator data to publicly calling out strategy mistakes, the 27-year-old has built an influence so complete that engineers now design the RB20 around his feel, not the other way around.
The “switch” – Friday to Sunday
Performance engineer Simon Cole describes two Verstappens:
- Friday: smiles, jokes, deliberately overdrives to find limits
- Sunday: “ice-cold assassin”, heart-rate never above 155 bpm, remembers every sector time of rivals
Team-mate Sergio Perez calls it “the switch—once he puts the helmet on, he’s gone.”
Brutal honesty – no filter, no politics
After a poor FP2 in Bahrain 2025 Verstappen told engineers “this car is shit, we need to delete half the floor”—on live team radio. Instead of fines, aerodynamicists worked overnight, cut 12 % of the floor surface and found 0.18 s. “We’ve learned to treat insults as data,” chief designer Craig Skinner laughs.
Data rejection – when feel beats numbers
Verstappen ignores simulator suggestions if they “feel wrong”. In Japan he rejected a +0.7 mm front flap the model predicted would gain 0.06 s. He qualified 0.8 s clear and later admitted: “Numbers don’t drive, I do.” Red Bull now weights driver feel 60 % vs 40 % model—reversed from 2022.
Mental triggers – the “win it now” clause
Red Bull’s strategy software includes a “MV trigger”: if Verstappen is within 2 s of the leader after lap 15, the pit-wall must present an under-cut option within three laps. Miss the window and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase gets an instant audio alert. “He hates wasting laps behind slower cars,” Lambiase says.
Influence on design – the RB20 is “his” car
- Shorter wheelbase (30 mm) – requested 2024, delivered 2025
- Ultra-stiff rear spring – copied from Verstappen’s iRacing set-ups
- Raised footwell – allows left-foot braking bias he prefers
- Custom throttle map – non-linear above 85 % to mimic 2019 RB15 feel
“We start every concept with ‘what would Max like?’ then work backwards,” Skinner admits.
Leadership style – carrot, not stick
Unlike previous Red Bull alphas, Verstappen never belittles mechanics. After his Austin 2024 crash he spent six hours in the assembly area helping rebuild the gearbox. “He makes you want to fight for him,” junior mechanic Tom Harris says. Stella calls it “humble authority—he demands excellence but owns mistakes first.”
Handling pressure – the “family bubble”
Verstappen flies his own Dassault Falcon 900 to races, parents Jos and Sophie attend every European round, and girlfriend Kelly Piquet handles social media. “My family is the firewall—nothing else gets in,” he told Ziggo Sport. Result: zero sponsor commitments on race weekends, eight hours sleep guaranteed, heart-rate variability 25 % better than team average.
Team-mate impact – Perez benefits, then folds
Sergio Perez admits “the car is better because Max is honest”, but the same set-up often exposes his own weaknesses. After Mexico 2025 Perez trimmed front flap 0.5 mm to match Verstappen’s sheet, crashed in Q1 and later said: “His limit isn’t mine.” Red Bull extended Perez’s contract only after Verstappen publicly backed him, proof of Dutch leverage over driver policy.
Christian Horner – the buffer, not the boss
Team principal Horner no longer leads technical debriefs; Stella does. Horner’s role is “commercial and political shield”, allowing Verstappen to focus purely on driving. Sources say Horner negotiated Verstappen’s new $55 million-a-year deal in 48 hours, without board approval, such is the trust from Austrian ownership.
Bottom line
Max Verstappen’s speed is only half the story. His ruthless honesty, data-defying feel and humble authority have re-engineered Red Bull’s culture to revolve around one man’s rhythm. As the team heads to Las Vegas with both championships on the line, the **RB20 is no longer just Adrian Newey’s car—it is Verstappen’s world, and everyone else simply turns the wrenches.
Sources
PlanetF1 – Verstappen mentality drives Red Bull design, 6 Nov 2025
Ziggo Sport – Max interview on family firewall, 4 Nov 2025
PlanetF1 – Horner hails Verstappen leadership, 5 Nov 2025
ESPN – Perez admits set-up exposes weaknesses, 2 Nov 2025
F1i.com – Newey explains Verstappen RB20 requests, 3 Nov 2025