Max Verstappen drives the difficult RB21, while the Racing Bulls is considered driver-friendly: Why a test in the sister car would be highly sensitive
Racing Bulls deliberately made its Formula 1 car drivable so that both a rookie and a top driver could handle it. But why doesn’t Red Bull just let Max Verstappen drive the Racing Bulls VCARB 02 – on a film day, for example?
Because a recurring pattern in the first half of the 2025 Formula 1 season is that Verstappen’s Red Bull RB21 has a very narrow operating window and is very difficult to drive. The VCARB 02, on the other hand, is proving to be much more forgiving. The result: the second Red Bull driver is struggling, but Isack Hadjar is already shining in his debut season with Racing Bulls.
The reverse trend has also been observed: Yuki Tsunoda started the year strongly at Racing Bulls, but at Red Bull he is struggling with the same problems as previous Verstappen teammates. And Liam Lawson found his form again at Racing Bulls after being dropped by Red Bull – even finishing ahead of Verstappen in the race in Hungary.
How Racing Bulls deliberately developed a more docile car
That says a lot about the pressure in both teams and the challenge of being Verstappen’s teammate. But it also says a lot about the cars.
According to new team boss Alan Permane, Racing Bulls deliberately developed the VCARB 02 to be driver-friendly. “But until you start driving, it’s hard to judge. During the Bahrain test, we weren’t entirely sure. When we got to the first races, we realized what we had created – and that influenced the rest of the development,” he explains.
The car’s handling suits a Formula 1 rookie like Hadjar, but that was “not the main focus” of Racing Bulls, says Permane: “It undoubtedly helps a rookie. But the VCARB 02 is probably a car that even a top driver could handle and get the performance out of.”
What if you had a top driver test it?
Permane’s reference to a “top driver” raises an inevitable question: Why hasn’t Verstappen tested the VCARB 02 yet?
It would be complicated during a race weekend, but theoretically it could work on a film day. Every team has two such film days per year, with a distance of 200 kilometers each on special demo tires.
Putting Verstappen in the Racing Bulls for a day could be useful in several ways: Racing Bulls would get a benchmark for the car’s potential and could better assess Hadjar’s performance. Verstappen’s technical feedback could help the sister team. Above all, however, Verstappen and Red Bull would be able to clearly see the differences between the two cars.
How much Verstappen wants to drive the Racing Bulls car
When asked in Hungary if he had ever been tempted to drive the Racing Bulls, Verstappen laughed. Then he said, “Let’s not talk about that.”
Sources within the Red Bull team suggest that one reason could be political sensitivity towards their rivals. Other teams are already scrutinizing the team dynamics within the Red Bull group, and the world governing body (FIA) plans to tighten the operating rules (Section F) for 2026 to more clearly define such cross-team relationships.
This means that Verstappen could theoretically drive for the sister team, but this would probably cause a stir in the paddock.
What the competition has to say
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella addressed the issue during the team principals’ press conference in Budapest and emphasized the need for strict oversight: “McLaren has raised the issue of team independence in the past. We need to discuss this issue to put the sport on a very solid, fair footing.”
“Any fully independent team must be protected from the advantages that can arise from mutual dependence,” Stella said.
“At the moment, we trust that the existing rules are already an effective means of mitigating potential risks – such as switching from one team to another from one day to the next. But further constructive discussions are needed.”
From this perspective, it could be the safest option for the Red Bull Group to avoid even the appearance of irregularity – even if it would be theoretically possible to put Verstappen in the Racing Bulls.
Has the train already left the station?
However, it is probably already (too) late to derive any real benefit from such a test. According to Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies, the two cars are too different to transfer feedback directly to the RB21 – and he speaks from experience.
What’s more, the teams are already focusing primarily on 2026. Current updates have been in the works for a long time and (almost) nothing new is being developed for the 2025 cars.
Even if Verstappen were able to gain useful insights from a film day, budget caps, wind tunnel restrictions, and the upcoming 2026 rules would make it virtually impossible to incorporate them into the development of this year’s car.