Liam Lawson believes Max Verstappen has reached a level of confidence in his car that is rarely achieved by F1 drivers.
Even if Verstappen was accustomed to the RB19, he quickly showed similar results in the RB20, winning both races and taking pole position twice.
Max Verstappen's confidence level as pointed out by his teammates
Not only was the speed of the car impressive, but also the speed with which Verstappen got accustomed to the car, often producing fast laps on his first try.
Lawson believes this is a rare quality for an F1 driver.
“The biggest thing I would say is the confidence level,” the Kiwi told Sky Sports. “Max has more confidence in that car than anyone else.
“If you look at Lewis, [Hamilton] for example. He's obviously not 100% happy and he's not in that car.
“Every time he gets close to the start of his qualifying lap, or even his actual lap, he doesn't have 100% confidence in what's under his feet and he doesn't know exactly what it's going to do. You can imagine that.
“Where Max is now at Red Bull, the car is in very good condition and he is very happy with it.”
As for how he knew Verstappen was into the car, Lawson said driving around the tight, twisty Saudi Arabian circuit taught him what he needed to know.
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“If you look at his qualifying lap in Jeddah, he doesn't miss the apex and is very close to the wall,” said Red Bull's reserve driver. “In place, [such as] Turn 4, I'm sure he got a touch on the inside, which is very, very difficult. To be precise.
“But it's not just Turn 4, it's Turn 10, Turn 22 as well, basically everywhere. He's doing it so precisely and that's because he's so confident in the car. . Those things are also what really make up time.”
Lawson, meanwhile, is still on the sidelines, but said he doesn't have any teams or drivers he wants to study nearby.
“It's obviously a great opportunity,” said the 22-year-old. “If I could choose any team to play for, I would definitely choose this team because I basically have direct access to all the information and how he does things.”
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