Red Bull could not has wished for a better start to Formula 1’s new era, storming to both championship titles while their rivals struggled to compete.
While the energy drink giants quickly solved their weight and reliability issues, Mercedes and Ferrari took much longer to master the new regulations that were introduced at the start of the year and failed to match Red Bull.
One of the team’s biggest assets in their main driver Max Verstappen, who at only 25 years of age is being touted as one of the all-time greats of Formula 1.
The Dutchman now has two championship victories and showed a level of consistency and maturity in 2022 that made him almost unbeatable, head and shoulders above the competition.
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One major problem with Verstappen however is finding him a teammate that can live up to the almost superhuman standards that he sets, with Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon both seeing their stints at Red Bull cut short after failing to impress next to the Dutchman.
Pundits have recently urged the team to sign McLaren star Lando Norris to replace the consistent but unspectacular Sergio Perez, with the move allowing the Brit to challenge for wins while also improving Red Bull’s chances of retaining the constructors’ championship.
Former racing driver Tom Coronel has suggested otherwise however, claiming that a move to Red Bull could spell bad news for Norris in the long run.
“Whether he should sit next to Max? No,” said Coronel.
“Then he will get the same as all those others. Beside Max, your career just ends.
“It was wise of Norris not to go to Red Bull. It is better to wait for another opportunity. He actually does that now.”
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Norris has recently revealed that he held talks with the energy drink giants before renewing his contract with McLaren, suggesting that he has faith in McLaren’s long-term project to return to championship contention.
With a new state-of-the-art wind tunnel facility set to be operational next year, the team are making big strides to become a competitive team once again, but it remains to be seen how far Norris’ patience with the team will stretch.
With Sergio Perez’s contract set to expire at the end of 2024, this could be the perfect opportunity for Norris to make the switch to Red Bull, should his current employers not make meaningful progress towards their goal by this point in time.