Red Bull think Max Verstappen possesses an ‘incredible’ trait that Lewis Hamilton won’t replicate

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Max Verstappen ended up on the disappointing side of the 2025 F1 title battle as Lando Norris walked away from the season finale as champion.

But he was given an extremely close run for his money by a four-time champion who was 104 points behind in the drivers’ championship at one stage.

Even when Red Bull’s car didn’t look up to the challenge, he ploughed on and notched 10 podium appearances in a row after the summer break.

Verstappen proved to everyone in the world exactly why he is considered the most talented driver around right now. It’s hard to dispute that cause.

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Helmut Marko was really annoyed by his final Verstappen talk before officially leaving the Red Bull team, as he was forced to make it over the phone.

Red Bull staff are ‘nervous’ about Verstappen leaving, which would leave them with a massive hole to fill for 2027. It all depends on what sort of car they produce this winter.

READ MORE: Helmut Marko shares why leaving Red Bull is a ‘relief’ after Max Verstappen lost 2025 F1 title fight

Red Bull think Max Verstappen will ‘never’ back down where Lewis Hamilton might

Verstappen has sent a 2026 Red Bull warning, which may concern fans of the team who are hoping to see them on track plenty during testing. Now they have a new engine, there will be gremlins to get over.

But, Toto Wolff expects Verstappen to have an ‘advantage’ over his competitors, because he spends so much time in a simulator. He’s relentless, and his pursuit of speed never ends.

It’s something that Red Bull’s Head of Driver Academy, Guillaume Rocquelin, says he sees in his approach to racing. It’s something that Lewis Hamilton has lacked, at times.

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“I think, having worked with a four-time champion as well, I think, and I’m going to say that it’s not necessarily there to infuse Sebastian [Vettel], I’ve seen this before with other drivers, like Lewis [Hamilton] or others,” he said in Red Bull’s Nothing To Lose documentary.

“Once you’ve been there, you know what it takes. You get a gut feeling in the season very quickly, of what the car is capable of.

“Then, if you think that car is not championship material, even if you still do the job consciously, there’s a bit of a thing that says ‘Yeah, maybe this is not the year,’ and then that’s two tenths, three tenths [gone]. With Max, there’s never that,” Rocquelin continued.

“Even when he was further back, it was like ‘I’m going to give 100%,’ and things would come his way. The team turned things around, improved the car, and he just came back, which I think is incredible.”

READ MORE: What Red Bull owners have ‘explicitly’ told Max Verstappen about the team’s future after Helmut Marko exit

Rubens Barrichello explains where Max Verstappen is ‘exceptional’ at Red Bull

Verstappen will decide on Red Bull in the 2026 summer, and moving on would be one of the biggest moments in recent history.

Much like Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was, fans would erupt. Ex-Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello sees one reason why the Briton is struggling more than Verstappen, right now, though.

“He’s exceptional, yes. Without a doubt. I think we have two drivers that we can compare, and see one of the greatest of all time, Hamilton is considered, and is going through an obscure stage in terms of results,” he told Flow Podcast.

“That’s what happens, right? It has a lot to do with motivation. Verstappen, nowadays, we have to take a pretty basic example. You’re sitting here, if I tell you that I’m super comfortable and that I can stay in this chair for three hours, without any problem.

“But like this, if I’m not comfortable and I don’t tell you this, the next person who sits here might also be embarrassed to speak up. And that’s more or less it,” Barrichello continued.

“I understood, it’s about meticulously examining exactly what the car is doing so that you can pass it on to the designer, the aerodynamicist, the engine guy, and so on. It’s all a matter of finesse.”