Beating Max Verstappen in equal machinery may just be the most difficult task in Formula 1 right now. Since Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull, three have tried and three have failed.
First, it was Pierre Gasly, who only survived for half a season before Red Bull demoted him back to Toro Rosso. Alex Albon moved the other way but he was off the grid entirely within 18 months.
Sergio Perez has at least found a degree of stability, now in his fourth season alongside Verstappen. The Dutchman has won the title in all three of those campaigns, with Perez struggling to get near him.
Last year, the Mexican finished a record 290 points adrift in the drivers’ standings. He won two of the first four races, but then Verstappen rattled off 17 of the next 18.
Heading into the final year of his contract, Perez knew that he had to raise his game. That didn’t mean beating Verstappen – some regard it as an ‘impossible’ task – but it meant finishing second on a more consistent basis.
So far, he’s managed to do just that. The 34-year-old has completed a Red Bull one-two at three of the first five races, and a front-row lock-out in the last two.
Team principal Christian Horner says his turnaround conjures memories of Damon Hill’s 1996 title-winning season. And if he can keep up this form, he’s expected to earn a new deal.
But there’s still a long way to go. And as we saw last year, Perez may begin to struggle despite a relatively strong start.
Otmar Szafnauer picks driver who could compete with Max Verstappen
Speaking to media outlets including the Daily Mail, former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer named the one driver who could hold his own against Verstappen right now. And it isn’t seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Instead, it’s McLaren’s Lando Norris. Norris produced a sterling drive at the Chinese Grand Prix last time out to split the Red Bulls for his 15th career podium.
The 24-year-old now holds the record for the most top-three finishes without a race victory. But virtually everybody in the F1 paddock regards him as one of the sport’s five elite drivers.
“Who would you put up against Max?” Szafnauer said. “For me, I love Lewis but he is at a different age in his career. I would stick Lando up against Max. I am not saying Lando should do that, but you are asking me ‘who can beat Max?’.”
Could Lando Norris join Verstappen at Red Bull one day?
Red Bull director Helmut Marko joked that one way for Norris to bag that elusive first victory would be to join his team. And that may become a serious possibility in time.
Marko has said he would love to see Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri in Red Bull colours one day. The former signed a new long-term deal in the winter, but contracts aren’t everything in Formula 1.
When Perez leaves, be it at the end of this year or further down the line Horner and co. could make their move. It’s also worth noting that they see him as a potential successor to Verstappen if he makes a sensational switch to Mercedes.
Norris has recently complained that the 27-year-old’s dominance of the sport is becoming ‘boring’. Perhaps he’ll be the man who eventually disrupts it, maybe even on the opposite side of the garage.
The post ‘Who can beat Max?’: Otmar Szafnauer names the one Formula 1 driver he’d put up against Verstappen appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
