Daniil Kvyat shares his theory about why Max Verstappen is so much faster than all his Red Bull F1 teammates

It’s clear that Max Verstappen is effectively in a class of his own when at Red Bull, as evidenced by the gulf in points between him and his last three teammates.

During the 2024 season, Verstappen scored more than double the amount of points of Sergio Perez with 434 – 151 points, while in just two races, he outscored Liam Lawson by 36 points.

Yuki Tsunoda has only scored 10 points so far compared to 124 points for the Dutchman, again showcasing a significant gap between him and his teammate.

Verstappen has only been beaten by one teammate in his F1 career, which was Daniel Ricciardo in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

It is well known he is a once-in-a-generation talent, with some comparing Verstappen to F1 greats such as Ayrton Senna after his win in Imola. Former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat has pinpointed where Verstappen excels the most over teammates when speaking on the F1 Nation podcast.

Daniil Kvyat identifies how Max Verstappen is faster than Red Bull teammates

Verstappen turned around Red Bull’s fortunes in Imola between Friday and Sunday, having worked hard with his engineering team to put himself on the first row of the grid.

The overtake on Oscar Piastri at the start of the race secured the victory, while Verstappen also controlled the race throughout. Kvyat believes this relationship Verstappen has with the Red Bull team helps separate him from the rest of the pack.

“It’s a lot of experience with the car. Verstappen and GP [Gianpiero Lambaise] work very well together. The engineer also needs to understand very well what the driver needs, and the feedback, simulator work, and it all needs to come together,” said Kvyat.

“When you’re there and the team is fully backing you, always listening to your advice and complaints, it will help. But you have to still drive it.”

• READ MORE: The best moments of Max Verstappen’s career in Formula 1

How many teammates has Max Verstappen beat in his F1 career?

Verstappen has gone up against seven teammates in his F1 career, six of which have been at Red Bull since he switched to the team in 2016.

Ricciardo is the only teammate who has beaten him in this period, with the Australian also earning more poles in the three years they were together.

Verstappen won more races than Ricciardo at five to four in favour of the Dutchman, but the Australian scored more points. He has virtually obliterated every other teammate, including Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Perez.

Only Carlos Sainz has come close to replicating Ricciardo’s feat when he was at Toro Rosso in 2015, having come close to outqualifying and out-racing the Dutchman in 19 races.