Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing, has ventured an intriguing assertion, suggesting that if Sergio Perez were at the helm of both Red Bull cars this season, the Formula 1 championship would unfold as a ‘wide open’ battleground.
As Max Verstappen continues to triumph with 10 wins out of 12 races this season, Brown contemplates the potential impact of a different driver combination on the championship’s dynamics.
In an exceptional display of prowess, Max Verstappen has dominated this year’s Formula 1 season, securing a staggering 10 victories out of a possible 12 races.
The only other two victories have been claimed by Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, in Jeddah and Baku, providing Red Bull with an unassailable lead on the grid.
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However, Brown remains resolute in his belief that Verstappen’s remarkable success is the primary factor behind Red Bull’s dominance.
He underscored this perspective in an interview with ESPN, stating, “As much as Red Bull’s killing everyone right now…
“It’s really Max is killing everyone right now.”
Brown further commended the combination of Verstappen and Red Bull, deeming it unbeatable in the current moment, fuelled by Verstappen’s impeccable performance and the team’s error-free execution.
Brown’s speculative scenario takes shape as he contemplates the inclusion of two Sergio Perezes within Red Bull’s lineup.
He remarked, “If they had two Sergios in the car, with all due respect, this championship would kind of be wide open.”
The notion centers around the prospect that a pair of Perez’s calibre could potentially challenge Verstappen’s supremacy, injecting unpredictability into the championship standings.
*”So you’ve got something pretty special going on with Max and Red Bull,”* Brown asserted, acknowledging the unique synergy that defines the current frontrunner in Formula 1.
The McLaren chief’s imaginative analysis continued as he envisioned a championship landscape altered by different victors.
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“If you take Max out of it and take everyone who’s finished second this year and give them a win, it would be a pretty competitive, exciting championship,” Brown speculated.
This hypothetical redistribution of victories across the field would result in five teams – McLaren, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Sergio Perez – having each clinched a race win during the season.
“As soon as we all catch up to Red Bull, I think that’s going to be the state of play for Formula 1,” Brown concluded, forecasting a potential shift in the competitive equilibrium as the teams converge in performance.