The tier one drivers (Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, Alonso, maybe Norris) are at a similar level. It's a shame that Russell and Hamilton weren't paired in 2020 & 2021 to allow for two and three way WDC contests respectively.
Red Bull did have a tier one + tier 1/1B lineup before, but it's a shame that Ricciardo decided to move on. They went through Gasly and Albon (both too slow), before settling on Perez as a steady backup driver.
A team should always opt to pair the best two drivers it can find! Of course Hamilton is ruled out by Red Bull for other reasons (past collisions with Verstappen and likelihood of further collisions with Verstappen).
Verstappen +
Leclerc however could be quite a good potential lineup for Red Bull Racing! They seem to be much more amicable rivals and could be a great pairing!
I think Red Bull Racing will also consider Norris and Piastri. If Piastri is as good as he seems (and he will be a free agent in 2025 thanks to getting out of that improperly drafted long-term Alpine proposal), then Piastri could be a solid choice IMO.
Sieper wrote: ↑01 Jun 2023, 20:45
He literally only says “Max admits it’s the car”. He doesn’t also say anything.
Of course. Those saying "Hamilton = GOAT" were tiresome in 2020: did they also say "Lewis admits it's the car", I don't recall.
As I say above, a
more reasonable position is:
"the tier one drivers are at similar level, who comes out ahead when they are paired seems to be a matter of luck and circumstance" (e.g., Lauda and Prost with 1 WDC each, Prost and Senna with 1 WDC each, Alonso and Hamilton tied on WDC points)."
Anyone who is sure that Leclerc can beat Verstappen in a RBR or that Verstappen can beat Leclerc in a RBR is, IMO, lying. (Same for those who say so confidently "Russell would have had no chance to win the 2020 WDC, it doesn't matter that Russell didn't get the promotion".)
On the evidence we have, we might expect Leclerc to be fast but to crash a little more than Verstappen but who knows maybe the RBR is a little easier to control than the Ferrari? It should be
very, very close between Leclerc and Verstappen in the same car!
As (or if) Mr. Leclerc gets frustrated with the efforts of Scuderia Ferrari, he very well may make the trip to sign a contract at a certain Milton-Keynes factory.