Former F1 driver claims almost HALF THE GRID could do what Max Verstappen does at Red Bull

Max Verstappen

Former F1 driver claims almost HALF THE GRID could do what Verstappen does at Red Bull

Max Verstappen has streaked ahead in the drivers' standings as he finds himself 125 points clear during the summer break

Joe Ellis

Tuesday 8 August 2023 14:27

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Juan Pablo Montoya believes there are at least seven or eight drivers who could be world champion if they drove for Red Bull.

Max Verstappen is waltzing to his third world title in as many years at the wheel of the RB19 with a 125-point lead over Sergio Perez.

He could equal the record for consecutive wins at his home race in Zandvoort when the summer break ends.

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Montoya, a two-time Indy 500 winner and seven-time grand prix victor, reckons a good chunk of the F1 grid would do the same if Verstappen was not in F1.

Montoya: It's the timing of motorsport

Max Verstappen has been in a league of his own all year and will almost certainly wrap up his third title with rounds to spare

“If you take Max out of that car, there are about seven or eight drivers who could be world champions in that car,” Montoya told Semana TV.

“If he were not there, Checo [Sergio Perez], [Lewis] Hamilton, [Carlos] Sainz, [Charles] Leclerc, would all be world champion.

“It is the timing of motorsport, not only one as a driver but also the machine one has. The luck of which car is fast. The Red Bull with these rules is the best car, suddenly now that the rules change, it is no longer.

“Lando Norris, for example, is a very good driver and the McLaren has improved a lot this year, but Lando in Red Bull would probably be world champion.”