What if Max Verstappen drove for Racing Bulls instead of Red Bull? Analyst Ralf Schumacher dares to entertain this thought experiment and arrives at a surprising conclusion. Furthermore, Schumacher sees Verstappen contending for the title again once Red Bull addresses the shortcomings of the RB21.
Red Bull was in the spotlight last week, and not because of the impressive performances Max Verstappen has been delivering with the unpredictable RB21. The Austrian racing team decided to demote Verstappen’s teammate Liam Lawson back to sister team Racing Bulls after two races, while Yuki Tsunoda received a promotion.
How well the more experienced Tsunoda will perform in the RB21 could help Red Bull improve the car’s shortcomings, says advisor Helmut Marko. Verstappen, for his part, managed to drive the car to second place in the Australian GP and finished fourth in the Chinese GP. According to former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, the four-time world champion could extract even more from the Racing Bulls car than from the unpredictable RB21.
“Max needs a special car, and I don’t think anyone else can drive that car the way he does,” Schumacher tells Formel1.de. “That’s why he (if Verstappen drove for Racing Bulls) would rebuild the car and strengthen the front axle. I even estimate that Max would then drive faster than he currently does at Red Bull.”
Keeping Fingers Crossed
Red Bull is currently working on updates and improvements to the RB21. According to Schumacher, Verstappen is once again a real title contender if the Austrian racing team can rectify the shortcomings. “You hear that Red Bull is working on it at the moment and that they are implementing some changes for Japan, or soon after Japan, so they can drive in a better aerodynamic window,” says Schumacher. “There’s still more to come, so let’s at least keep our fingers crossed.”
