Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has revealed that Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are the only two drivers who could challenge Max Verstappen, who is currently unbeatable.
The reigning World Champion is very much in a league of his own currently, with the Dutchman having won 25 of the last 34 races since the new aerodynamic regulations were introduced.
In 2023 alone, Verstappen has won 10 out of 12 races, whilst he’s currently on an eight-race winning streak.
As a result, he already boasts a ridiculous 125-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship, meaning he’s on the brink of a third consecutive title.
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Nobody has been able to consistently challenge the 25-year-old, with Red Bull having also been far superior of the competition.
Despite this, Marko rates Hamilton and Alonso as the only two drivers on the grid who could beat Verstappen.
However, the 80-year-old believes they’d need a car better than Red Bull’s to defeat the Dutchman.
“I would perhaps say Alonso or Hamilton,” Marko told DAZN, “but in the same car it would be very difficult.”
Sergio Perez is proof of how difficult it is to defeat Verstappen even when in the same car, with the Mexican having claimed just two wins this season.
In actual fact, compared to Verstappen’s 25 wins since the start of 2022, Perez has just four.
All four came at street circuits as well, with only one of Perez’s career victories having come at a traditional circuit (2020 Sakhir Grand Prix).
Perez often has to settle for second behind Verstappen, something which happened last weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix
The Mexican had been leading, but was overtaken by Verstappen on Lap 17/44, with the championship leader having started sixth.
Remarkably, Verstappen still won by over 22 seconds.
As a result, Marko admits that simply finishing in second behind Verstappen is “like a victory”.
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“Second place, behind Max is like a victory. He had a good qualy, a good Sprint race, and had a controlled race with good speed,” Marko said.
“Second place, behind Max is like a victory.”
Marko added: “Max Verstappen wins easily no matter what. The whole team, every stop works, no mistakes are made, the whole team is fast and they are doing an incredible job.”