11 October 2023 , 16:13
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Max Verstappen's heroics have been masking Red Bull's true car performance this year, believes one Formula 1 pundit.
The Dutchman has won 14 of 17 races so far this season and, with five more Grand Prix weekends to go, has already made sure of the drivers' title. He has almost double the points scored by team-mate Sergio Perez, the gap between them standing at 209.
Red Bull have had the quickest car on the grid all year long. Yet, the disparity between the results secured by Verstappen and Perez over the course of the campaign means, according to former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde, it is had to assess the true pace of the team's machines.
"Max makes Red Bull better," the Dutch pundit told RacingNews365. "If he had been with another team, that team would have achieved more victories and it is certain that Max would have won in a different car. He would also compete for the title, but the how, what, where and when is just difficult to estimate.
"But one thing is clear: he is currently the best driver on the grid, otherwise you would not become world champion three times. There is still room for improvement, but I can't point out where. Everything is almost perfect already.
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"He is almost a machine, I see that he does everything perfectly. Whether it is a start or a qualifying lap or working out strategy with his engineer, he has everything under control. He simply has a certain gift – and the capacity to think about other things [while driving].
"The guy is so good and I sometimes think we forget to mention that it all looks very easy – but I know how difficult it is. I know what you have to do and driving such a perfect qualifying lap, like he did at Suzuka, is so incredibly difficult and when you see that lap, then you really think, 'Wow, this guy!'"
Verstappen's dominance this season makes it look difficult for any of his rivals on the grid to compete with him any time soon. If any of them can do it, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan believes rookie superstar Oscar Piastri is the most likely.
"Piastri is just fabulous," the Irishman told TalkSPORT. "He is the only real one that I can see emerging that could take it to Verstappen in years to come... I have to say I have the height of respect for this kid and I think he's got a massive future. Let's see what happens."