Alan Permane advised Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad to closely follow Max Verstappen’s radio communications in Formula 1. For the Racing Bulls boss, the four-time world champion serves as a reference not only for speed but also for how he conveys information during races.
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Lawson and Lindblad form the least experienced duo on the 2026 grid, with only 35 combined starts before the season begins. The gap to the second least experienced pairing was significant, as George Russell and Kimi Antonelli together had 176 GP appearances.
“We use the GPS and listen to his radio. One of the things I always tell our drivers is: ‘Listen to the communication. Notice how he is always calm and how good his feedback is’,” Permane said during the Belgian GP.
The manager highlighted that Verstappen represents an important standard for developing drivers. “He is a great example for young drivers, and that’s why I consider him a reference. Not just for pace, but for how he behaves inside and outside the car. From what I see, he is exemplary,” he explained.
Despite the connection between Red Bull and Racing Bulls, Permane emphasized that the team only uses data also available to other competitors. Lawson confirmed this limitation by saying he follows basic information shared among all teams, although he worked directly with Verstappen during his two-race stint at Red Bull in early 2025.
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“We observe all drivers. There is a basic amount of data that all teams have access to. I am not his teammate now, I had that opportunity for only two races, but it is certainly possible to learn things by watching what everyone does,” Lawson said.
Within Racing Bulls, Lawson and Lindblad have shown similar performance so far. The New Zealander leads 8 to 6 in qualifying and 43 to 23 in points, but the gap narrowed to 27 to 18 in the last six rounds.
“It’s good to have two fast drivers. They are extremely close and I’m sure it will be necessary to manage that. In Belgium’s FP1, the ideal laps were separated by thousandths, so I expect a balanced fight throughout the year,” Permane concluded.
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