Red Bull Advisor Reveals Only Two Drivers Who Can Match Max Verstappen's Dominance

• F1

In the high-octane world of Formula 1 racing, victories and losses are often measured by fractions of a second, and supremacy is largely determined by a blend of skill, strategy, and engineering prowess. Thus far, this season seems to be dominated by a single name – Max Verstappen.

Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, recently offered his insights on Verstappen’s triumphant season, alongside his thoughts on some surprising developments within the field.

Max Verstappen's Astonishing Run

Max Verstappen, the current championship leader, is single-handedly transforming this Formula 1 season into a tour de force, boasting six wins from the initial eight races and securing two second places.

"Alonso and Hamilton, at best, they can keep up with him. The three of them are simply the best, but even among those three, Max stands out," Marko shared with OE24. What sets Verstappen apart, according to the 80-year-old advisor? “Because Max is Max,” Marko succinctly put it. “He’s in the best car”.

This statement subtly acknowledges the harmonious marriage between driver talent and advanced engineering that Red Bull has seemingly perfected.

Sergio Perez's Struggle

The unexpected factor this season, though, is the stark contrast between Verstappen’s surge and teammate Sergio Perez's slump.

After the first four races, Perez boasted an impressive 87 points, a meagre six points behind Verstappen. However, Perez's momentum waned significantly, accruing a mere 39 points and widening the gap to a concerning 69 points.

Marko, when probed about the issue, cited "mainly braking" as a significant contributor to Perez's dwindling performance. Despite this setback, the Mexican driver is not conceding defeat yet, confidently claiming that all is not lost and he is ready to fight back.

Marko's Optimistic Outlook

Marko, with a career spanning multiple decades in Formula 1, remains undeterred by the challenges and whimsicality of the sport. He celebrated Verstappen's 100th victory with a light-hearted anecdote: “The national anthem will be played there for the 100th time after a Red Bull victory. At our first in 2009 in China, they played the Blue Danube Waltz by mistake!”