When Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull in 2019, the Milton-Keynes-based outfit had a tough time replacing him with a driver who can be at least closer to Max Verstappen in performances. They first went with Pierre Gasly, and he was shipped back to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 12 races.
His junior from the Red Bull academy Alex Albon instantly replaced him. But even he couldn’t survive much and was demoted to be the reserve driver after the 2020 season. In the end, they finally settled with Sergio Perez.
Though he gave more promise due to his experience, he initially had problems too. However, this time, Red Bull was more patient and provided enough space to the Mexican race driver, and now he has cemented his spot in the team.
Meanwhile, it didn’t mean that the two drivers were terrible. They are still highly regarded across the grid and are active in the sport, which allows only 20 drivers. But the car they got wasn’t suitable for them, and this is where they got beaten.
Max Verstappen delivers a 1:32.59 to go almost three tenths clear of Carlos Sainz! 🏎️ pic.twitter.com/zJ1zewSSJw
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 23, 2023
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Alex Albon knew Pierre Gasly’s fate was awaiting him
When Albon first sat to test with Red Bull in the middle of the season with only 10 F1 experiences, he couldn’t have thought of a better rookie season. But his dreams soon turned into a nightmare when he first drove that RB15 specifically made for Verstappn’s needs.
“When I got in the car and had a few sessions under my belt, I thought of Pierre,” said Albon in a Players’ Tribune article released recently. “I get it. I get it, mate.”
He disclaimed that it’s not to make a diss at Red Bull. He thinks that Verstappen has the potential to be the greatest driver of all time. However, he has a distinctive driving style that the other drivers would find hard to adapt.
MAX VERSTAPPEN OFFFFFFFFF pic.twitter.com/U6kyfFls3K
— VerstappenJK (@VerstappenJK) February 16, 2023
It felt like playing call of duty
Albon, in his comments, claimed that it’s no easy task for any person to drive Red Bull cars as they are highly suited to Verstappen. He points out that the cars designed by Adrian Newey for the Milton Keynes outfit have a larger nose than others.
To put it in context, he claims that the deliberate extension of the nose made the car so sensitive that if someone “blew on the wheel, the car would turn.”
He further simplified his predicament by referencing the call of duty being played at the most sensitive level. That’s the car Verstappen likes and was never an easy task for Albon to tame. He claims he likes his own tweaks in the car and didn’t reach till that stage to implement at Red Bull.
Nevertheless, Verstappen isn’t alone, who likes his car to be this vulnerable. Pat Symonds, who worked with Michael Schumacher, once claimed that the seven-time world champion wanted his car to be unbalanced.
It was great for him but nightmarish for his teammates. So this probably could be the thing with the greatest drivers of all time, as Verstappen is also on the same trajectory.
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