Max Verstappen on F1 teammate battles: Sometimes you just have to accept that the guy next to you is a little bit better

Max Verstappen admits that while it is tough for a driver in an intra-team battle to take a backseat against their teammate, it is sometimes better to just accept that role. In an interview segment with Viaplay, the Red Bull driver was one of the guests along with his father, Jos Verstappen.

The topic of a second driver was raised and Valtteri Bottas was used as an example. The Finnish driver was part of Mercedes for multiple years but was always second best to teammate Lewis Hamilton.

So much so that he was once even termed a wingman for Lewis Hamilton by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Max Verstappen weighed in on the subject and said that he felt drivers needed to understand the role they serve within a team. He said:

"I think you start every year with a fresh mind, and after a couple of races, you realize that it's again not happening and you accept your role. And I mean you still drive, you know, you're still finishing on the podium. You put it on pole and you just had to accept that the guy next to you is a little bit better than you. I mean that's fine."

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Max Verstappen's father weighs in on the topic

Max Verstappen's father, Jos, too weighed in on the subject. He said that there comes a point in one's career when you realise it's not going to happen. He said:

"There's a point that you realise that it's not going to happen. He knows that. I think you know it yourself and I think he does. I mean [Bottas] had the chance at Mercedes many years and now he's at Alfa Romeo and I think it is his last stint in Formula 1."

Max Verstappen's father added:

"At the beginning, when you come into F1, you think you're gonna win races and we're going to win the championship. But then once you meet somebody and you think, 'Well he's fast,' and then if you have done everything you can and you still can't beat him, then you know your role and how good you are."

Valtteri Bottas beat Max Verstappen to finish P2 in the championship in 2019 and 2020 (with the aid of the dominant Mercedes). The Finnish driver is now likely in the last phase of his career as he drives for Alfa Romeo.