McLaren boss Zak Brown says six or seven drivers from the current grid could take Red Bull’s Red Bull world champion Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman has 49 victories from 73 races behind him, and since his first title in 2021, he has managed to string two more and is on his way to being the main competitor for that goal this year as well. The last of those 49 wins came at Imola a few days ago when he crossed the finish line just 7 tenths ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren.
When asked by journalists if drivers or technical staff are more important for success, Brown says that both are desirable, and that a third of the current grid could win the title in this Red Bull.
“At the end of the day – you need both. I don’t think you can win without a great driver, so yes – you need both, it’s not just the car.”
“People often ask me if it’s about the driver or the car. It’s both. I would say that currently six or seven drivers would win the title in this Red Bull. As good as Max is, and he’s one of the best drivers ever – I don’t think he would have won the title in any car but Red Bull.”
“Sergio Perez is an excellent driver who has shown that on his good day he can be close to Max, but look at the difference between them.”
“Accordingly, you need both a driver and a car. See what happens from 2nd to 5th position. One day you are second, the next day you are fifth, and everything changes. They are so close to the car and the driver can make a difference.”
Given the tiny differences in qualifying and in the race, it seems that now the details can decide and that the drivers can be the deciding factor, at least when it comes to Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.
“It depends on your driving, honestly. I think in Imola we were all very close in qualifying. We might have been ahead of Max if he hadn’t had the lee of Nice Hulkenberg. If Oscar had not received a penalty in that scenario, we would have had 1st and 2nd starting position. So, we probably had the best car.”
“In a race, I think it’s more about the driving than the car. If you press too hard – you will wear out the tires. If you go slower – then you are simply too slow. The driver should evaluate and find the limit. I don’t think you can just say one car was faster and the other slower.”
“Everything is so close that the differences are within a tenth. In that case, you can’t say that one guy was much better than the other. I hope it continues like this because this is exciting. It’s tough and you’re excited every weekend.”
