“Only two drivers in F1 who are halfway to Max Verstappen’s level”: Red Bull chief claims 2022 F1 champion is way superior than rest of grid in skillset

Tanish Chachra | 11/11/2022
"Only two drivers in F1 who are halfway to Max Verstappen's level": Red Bull chief claims 2022 F1 champion is way superior than rest of grid in skillset

At 25, Max Verstappen is smashing records like never imagined. The two-time world champion already has 34 wins in his bag, as he took a giant leap this year and fetched a record 14 wins this season.

The previous record was joint-held by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher at 13. Therefore, there was no stopping Verstappen from continuing his reign on the world championship throne.

With Red Bull, Verstappen is probably getting started. Until the new engine regulations kick in, the Milton-Keynes outfit and the Dutchman would be favourites every season until the new major regulations promise to shift the tide.

Also read: 2-time Champion Max Verstappen warns Ted Kravitz after Red Bull lift Sky Sports Boycott

Only two drivers halfway to Max Verstappen’s calibre

With Verstappen riding at an all-time high, Helmut Marko thinks only two drivers reach halfway of Verstappen’s calibre. The rest are not even that good enough. He named Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

“There are only two drivers in Formula 1 who are halfway to Verstappen’s level, and they are Leclerc and Hamilton,” said Marko to RTL. He further called Charles Leclerc a good prospect but very error-prone.

Though, he admitted that Mercedes is predicted to improve in 2023 and reach its former self. Hamilton will be a bigger threat next year. However, Mercedes would have to reflect on their learning of this season next summer.

Will Red Bull be bothered by the 2023 fine?

So, with Red Bull being found guilty of the minor cost cap breach, they have been penalized $7 million along with a 10% reduction in the wind-tunnel time. It’s certainly a big blow to their aero development.

However, Mercedes engineer Andrew Shovlin doesn’t see Red Bull getting too much affected by it. He said with reduced time in the wind tunnel. They would be saving a massive amount compared to the other teams.

Thus, that money can reduce the weight of the car. Every kilogram added to an F1 car affects the speed by one or two-tenths of a second, and it reflects on the performance. So, Shovlin doesn’t see a huge loss to Red Bull in 2023.

But if Mercedes improves, and Ferrari also works on their mistakes of 2022. The 2023 season can be one of the most exciting seasons of all time.

Also read: Charles Leclerc can’t imagine a result worse than Mexican GP for Ferrari

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Charles Leclerc Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Red Bull

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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