Michael Schumacher’s Engineer Argues “Max Verstappen in Ferrari Would Win” While Charles Leclerc Frustration With His Team Continues

Max Verstappen has established unparalleled dominance in F1 with his flawless performances. Many people have claimed that it is the RB19 that is responsible for Verstappen’s winning streak. However, former Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzolla, who worked with Michael Schumacher, believes that Verstappen can replicate a similar feat even if he is put in the current Ferrari – in stark contrast to what Ferrari wonderboy Charles Leclerc is going through currently.

Verstappen is currently on a record-breaking run of form. The Dutch driver won 15 out of the 22 races last season, and with 10 races already done in the current season, Verstappen has managed to win eight of them.

On the other hand, Charles Leclerc has had a disappointing season so far with Ferrari. There have been various instances where Leclerc has been compromised by silly strategy errors by the Maranello outfit. The Monegasque has been venting his frustration over the team radio throughout the year.

However, Mazzolla believes that Verstappen is on such a level at the moment he would be able to win races with Ferrari – a team that last won a Grand Prix 21 races ago.

Mazolla believes that Max Verstappen can turn Ferrari upside down

Luigi Mazolla, who worked at Ferrari for 21 years, was the former test team manager and the car performance development manager for the Maranello outfit. The Italian engineer won 14 world championships with Ferrari and has a very clear idea about what a winning team is made of.

As per DAZN News, Mazolla said, “Max Verstappen, at Ferrari, would win right now.“He explained that it is true that a driver cannot perform without a competitive car underneath him and a trustworthy team behind him. However, Mazzolla believes that a driver like Verstappen would bring about many changes in a team and force them to perform at the limit.

“A driver with this kind of attitude would turn the team upside down if he came to Ferrari. Because someone who forces you to change the tire on the last lap in Austria means that they are raising the bar for everyone, mechanics, engineers, and technicians,” explained Mazzolla.

The claim made by Mazzolla might have quite a bit of credibility. This is because Verstappen has been performing in a different league altogether compared to his teammate, who has access to the same machinery.

Verstappen is in a different league of his own

Sergio Perez has failed to reach Q3 for five consecutive races starting from the Monaco Grand Prix. On the contrary, Max Verstappen has claimed pole position in each of these five races in the same car.

If Verstappen keeps on performing at this level, he will have the World Championship wrapped up when F1 reaches Qatar. There will still be 5 races left since Qatar is in the 17th round of the championship season. This would be one race earlier than in 2022, where he managed to win the title in Japan.

However, Perez’s poor performances have not really attracted much criticism from the Red Bull camp. Both Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have been supportive of the Mexican race driver. However, Red Bull has also stated that for the 2024 season, they would need a second driver who can be much closer to Verstappen.

There are various options in the pipeline currently for the Milton-Keynes outfit to choose from, with Daniel Ricciardo’s return to AlphaTauri adding another one. Whether Perez could retain his seat for next year remains to be seen.