For years, Red Bull Racing has been searching for the ideal teammate for Max Verstappen, without success. Perhaps they should indeed proceed as a one-man team.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has recently been teasingly referring to Red Bull Racing as a one-man team. Everyone understands what he means. From his perspective, it’s both a compliment to Max Verstappen and a vote of no confidence in the team management of Red Bull Racing. Undoubtedly, this is how he intended it, as both effects suit him well.
But Toto Wolff also has a point. What is the added value of a second driver at Red Bull Racing these days? It’s a valid question. The seat feels more like a burden than a pleasure, not least for the driver who sits on it with blistered buttocks.
Worn-out Tires
Since Verstappen joined Red Bull, the number of worn-out tires has been higher than the number of teammates. Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, Sergio Pérez, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda have all capitulated. One (Lawson, after two races) did so faster than the other (Pérez, after 92 races). Next year, Isack Hadjar is likely to have a go. It seems doomed to fail from the outset.
From the list above, only Ricciardo and Pérez stood on the podium for Red Bull. Both initially entered the battle with Verstappen with full commitment, as they should and as Carlos Sainz did in the first year and a half of Verstappen’s Formula 1 career with sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso. Pérez was also of great strategic importance as the Mexican Minister of Defence in the final phase of the 2021 season, in Abu Dhabi.
All the others were essentially just co-drivers in the literal sense of the word, ballast that is of little to no use. This season, Verstappen was superior to the second driver in every race and qualification, which is as telling as it gets.
A True Wingman
Deep down, Max Verstappen would also want a teammate who brings out the best and worst in him. Someone who challenges him, pushes him to his limits every day, and occasionally gets under his skin. In short, someone who makes him an even better and faster driver than he already is. But also someone who is loyal when needed, a true wingman.
It speaks volumes about the pure sportsman Max Verstappen is, that he has maximized almost every race this season. The only exception was the collision with George Russell in Barcelona, but otherwise, he was always and everywhere in control. It’s the ultimate nightmare for the competition, but he would probably perform even better with a strong teammate by his side. Not a burden, but an additional source of motivation.
Mentally Strong
It has often been speculated: who could take on this challenge alongside Max Verstappen and dare to do so? In other words, who is fast enough, mentally strong enough, and also a team player, both on and off the track? Indeed, this man does not exist.
Therefore, Toto Wolff’s suggestion of a one-man team on the grid is not such a crazy idea. All focus on one car. Less cost, less hassle, and almost the same number of points. Perhaps only the team’s name would need to be renamed. Not Red Bull Racing, but Verstappen.com Racing. In practice, that’s what it already is…
