Verstappen's Perfect Teammate Revealed
Formula 1 is a world of speed and challenges, but being Max Verstappen's team-mate means much more. Who could be the ideal number two for the Dutchman? The driver himself answers this question.
Max Verstappen during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. / © Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Competing alongside Max Verstappen is a tough task. Matching the talent of the three-time world champion has generated frustration and doubts about the ability of his different teammates due to the difference in results. Ricciardo, Gasly and Albon are just some of the names subjugated to Verstappen's dominance within the team, where the symbiosis with the car is so perfect that many claim that everything in the Red Bull box revolves around the Dutchman.
Sergio Pérez, nicknamed Checo, has been the latest to join the number two club, as the number one printed on Max's car, now a permanent part of his car for three consecutive seasons, leaves no room for other title contenders, even within the same team. The Mexican, after a good start to the season, was outperformed by Verstappen, who has clarified his position with statements to German journal Amus, where he pointed out that there was no balance in the first part of the season, but a hint of personal bad luck in Saudi Arabia and Baku, (both races won by the Mexican) and stressed that the recent single-seaters have not been designed according to his driving style.
"Each engineer develops the car to make it faster, then each driver adapts it as he sees fit, but we talk about set-up. I can't say what my driving style is, but I can adapt to the needs of the car, following the way that makes it faster. That's the key to being a real Formula 1 driver: to be able to adapt to what the team puts at your disposal. - Max Verstappen for Auto Motor und Sport
But what if Verstappen had to choose his perfect team-mate?
The first name would undoubtedly be Lando Norris. The driver confessed that, if he could, he would also choose himself as part of his dream team and would be delighted to have the young British driver by his side at Red Bull.
"I would choose Lando. He's still young, with a long career ahead of him. And he can also be very, very fast" admitted the Dutchman. This decision would come as no surprise to many, as the bond with the British driver goes beyond the Formula 1 circuits, including virtual racing and Padel sessions. Although Norris is regarded as one of the fastest drivers on track, it seems unlikely that Red Bull would sign a driver who could destabilise the team in the event of a conflict, especially as the Briton is tied to McLaren until the end of 2025.
So what would be the alternative? Another McLaren driver, only 21 years old, rookie of 2023 and current team-mate of Norris, Oscar Piastri. Verstappen would choose the Australian if it were not possible to form a team in which he himself would be number one, proving how good he considers the Woking team's pairing, known as papayas, to be.
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen during the Netherlands Grand Prix. / © Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Verstappen on the new F1
No stranger to making politically incorrect statements, Verstappen did not hold back when asked by Auto Motor und Sport about the current dynamics of F1.
"Why all these complications? I also wonder what the rules are now. I feel lost, it's like being in a circus." "Circus" was again the term chosen by the Dutchman (also much used during the Las Vegas GP), to criticise the Sprint race format and the Parc Fermé regime, which is activated on Fridays and prevents changes to the set-up of the car for the rest of the weekend, with only one free practice session available and the associated difficulties in finding the right set-up for the race.
This issue involves all teams, as demonstrated at the Austin Grand Prix in relation to the minimum height of the bottom of the cars, which led to the disqualification of Leclerc and Hamilton at the end of the race.
