Daniil Kvyat believes Red Bull is on par with McLaren

One thing is certain, the three pole positions of Max Verstappen and Red Bull in seven Grands Prix do not contradict Daniil Kvyat's analysis. While the results achieved by the four-time reigning world champion are seen by many as exploits, the Russian believes that it also shows that the RB21 can prove to be a formidable weapon.

Undoubtedly, Verstappen performs very well in this car, but the Russian driver insists that when all the conditions are right, the Red Bull can fight on equal terms or almost with the McLaren byOscar piastri et Lando Norris, who have dominated the championship in terms of points since the start of the season.

"It's obvious that the Red Bull is still a fast car, but it seems to have a very narrow operating window.", he explained in reported comments by the official Formula 1 website. “Obviously when you have a lot of experience with this car, as an engineer and a driver, you can make a big difference, and you can still make this car very quick – if you put it in the operating window. Otherwise, it feels like the car is way behind the McLaren, but I think when it's in the operating window, it's on the same level as McLaren.”

A McLaren more consistent in racing than the Red Bull

The driver, who spent just over a season at Red Bull (2015 and 2016, before being replaced by Verstappen in Spain), took the Miami Grand Prix as an example. On Saturday, Max Verstappen took pole position right from under the noses of the McLarens. In the race, however, the number 1 had no say in the matter once the two Woking cars were in the lead.

“In qualifying, maybe with new tires, better grip, it masks a little bit the difference there can be in race pace. We saw that in Miami, where McLaren was able to be very consistent, traction-wise, lap after lap, monitoring the tires, tire temperatures and everything. That's what makes the difference at this level, when the gaps are so tight.”

Verstappen's teammate, a risky job

While he hasn't had the chance to test himself against Max Verstappen, Kvyat believes it's this very limited window of opportunity that can explain the impressive gap between the Dutchman and his teammates. Liam Lawson as Yuki tsunoda are having the greatest difficulty this season in matching or at least getting close to the reigning world champion. The same could be said of Sergio Perez in recent years, the Mexican having had nightmarish years in 2023 and 2024.

"I think the question concerns many details in the cars of Formula 1 : There's tire temperature, the tire operating window, there's the setup, there's the aerodynamic window – it's very complicated. If one piece of the puzzle is missing, the results can be catastrophic. You can be a good driver, but if you don't put the car and the tires in that window, you'll be missing half a second. That's normal, and it's also one of the things I had to learn to manage in my first years in F1. It's a very interesting process, but if you get lost in it, it can really ruin your chances, and with Checo [Pérez] – I don't know, I didn't drive that car, so I can't tell you for sure, but maybe that was the case.

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