Max Verstappen has made a name for himself as someone who regularly obliterates his teammates. With Perez being the latest victim, there have been major speculations regarding a replacement for the Mexican. As talks about a possible new teammate for Verstappen are on the rise, as per a report by Formule1.nl, Christian Horner has admitted that he wouldn’t dare to be Verstappen’s teammate.
Verstappen has had an extremely dominant 2023 season, winning 14 of the 17 races held so far and wrapping up his third consecutive championship title. The Dutchman created a new record by winning 10 consecutive races – a testament to his dominance this season.
MAX VERSTAPPEN.
THREE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION! 👑👑👑 pic.twitter.com/IvcQOA5wu4
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 7, 2023
In stark contrast to Verstappen, his teammate Sergio Perez has disappointed massively. Despite having similar machinery, Perez has been no match to Verstappen and is now under the threat of being replaced for the 2024 season.
Christian Horner labels Max Verstappen as the most difficult teammate
With numerous speculations regarding who Verstappen’s new teammate will be, in case Perez does get the sack, Horner has made it clear that being the Dutchman’s teammate is no easy task. He mentioned to Formule1.nl that it is not a task that he would have ever dared to take up if he were a racing driver.
Horner said, “Anyone who has to face him will end up empty-handed. Especially when you see where Max is at the moment.” He continued, “Max is the most difficult teammate in Formula 1.”
Christian Horner revealed Max Verstappen had predicted his 20-second Japanese Grand Prix winning margin during a padel game, having been “fired up” by his Singapore loss.
“I played padel tennis with Max on Wednesday and he was properly fired up and he said: ‘I want to win the… pic.twitter.com/j49BJ8CUPm
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 25, 2023
However, Horner also pointed out that this difference does not come because Red Bull provides him with a better car or better setups. The team boss explains that Verstappen is very open and fair with his teammates, but manages to perform better in track when it matters.
Verstappen’s cruel history with his teammates
Perez is not the only driver to have been destroyed by Verstappen. Before the former Racing Point driver stepped into the role, the likes of Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly had already gone through the whole experience of being Verstappen’s teammate.
The only driver who could match up to the 3x World Champion was Daniel Ricciardo back during their time together in 2017 and 2018. With the Australian making a grand return to F1, he is surely leading the race to be Perez’s replacement if push comes to shove.
