Former Formula 1 driver Mark Webber has compared four-time champion Max Verstappen to that of six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, suggesting that Red Bull is in a potential crisis. Drawing parallels to what Honda saw when the rider left the Japanese manufacturer for Gresini Ducati ahead of the 2024 season, Webber believes the team could be in trouble when the Dutchman eventually leaves.
This comes in the wake of a controversial decision from the Milton Keynes outfit to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda after just two race weekends. It seems apparent that the RB21 is a difficult car to manage, with even the experienced reigning champion struggling to extract its performance this season, let alone the New Zealand rookie.
Speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast (embedded below), the former Red Bull driver shared his concern for the team, with Verstappen seemingly being the only driver to be able to maximise the potential of his machinery.
“It’s like Marc Marquez when he left Honda; Marc Marquez engineered his way into riding this motorcycle over years – and on motorbikes, if you’re uncomfortable or something happens, you can injure yourself,” he warned.
“If Liam Lawson was the equivalent on a Honda now, he’d probably be injured because he couldn’t find the speed – he’d be down the road. So when Marquez leaves Honda, no one can ride the bike.
“That’s the interesting thing also with Max – who knows how long he stays at Red Bull, he might be there for another three or four years – but the team also have to get this car useable for not just one person on the planet.”
Marquez dominated MotoGP with Honda for over a decade, winning six world championships with the manufacturer on what was considered a challenging bike. On leaving, Honda has since struggled with their riders to fully utilise their machinery.
Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
According to the Australian, the performance gap between Verstappen and Lawson was “unacceptable.”
“Max is literally carrying that whole car himself,” Webber continued. “There has to be some corners where the second driver shows Max a way, but there’s no contribution.”
Replacing a driver after just two Grands Prix highlighted the severity of the situation at Milton Keynes. Lawson struggled significantly, with him qualifying 20th at the Chinese race, the lowest a driver of that team has qualified in its 20 years of running.
“But, clearly, it looks so challenging. Max is the only one that can extract the lap time out of that car. Sergio [Perez] for certain races last year is now looking like a magician.”
It’s no surprise that Cadillac is warming to the idea of the Mexican driver leading their team when they enter the grid next year.
Like Marquez, Verstappen has demonstrated an uncanny ability to extract performance from his car.
“I like Max Verstappen a lot,” Marquez said in 2023. “Mostly because he is a real killer… To win, to be successful at all or to be a hero, you also have to be a killer.
“His first priority is winning and in that respect we have the same mentality”
