Source: REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
[Saba Sports News] Peter Bayer, CEO of Scuderia AlphaTauri, strongly refutes the claim that Red Bull’s number two seat is “toxic,” calling it utter nonsense. In response to speculations about a curse affecting Red Bull’s number two drivers, Bayer told reporters: “It’s not the seat that’s toxic, but Max Verstappen’s talent that’s too overwhelming.” This Red Bull executive revealed that four-time F1 World Champion is obsessed with racing to a pathological extent—”he even simulates driving in his dreams; this level of focus is unprecedented.” Data from recent race seasons shows that Verstappen has dominated six teammates in nine years, with five of them having an average lap time 0.3 seconds slower. However, Bayer emphasized that Sergio Perez won the runners-up title in 2021, proving the “toxic seat theory” false. More notably, current number two driver Yuki Tsunoda admitted that driving RB21 feels like navigating a needle tip, with a qualification mistake rate as high as 42%, but Verstappen’s driving in the race appears as smooth as flowing water. This disparity baffles the technical team: how can the same car perform so differently under different drivers? Newly leaked radio communications from Red Bull show that Verstappen can accurately predict the car’s limits during qualifying, with his steering inputs 0.15 seconds faster than his teammate’s. A senior engineer revealed: “Verstappen perceives minute vibrations that our sensors cannot detect.” This talent forces engineers to develop a more sensitive steering system tailored specifically for him. In my view, this debate over the “toxic seat” is essentially an indirect tribute to Verstappen’s genius dominance.