Verstappen actually needs 'Perez type' teammate at Red Bull

What kind of teammate does Verstappen need?

In Formula 1, the debate is always about what line-up is best for an F1 team. However, if you look at the most successful F1 teams of the past, you will see one clear trend: a top team always has a star driver and a supporting second man. Whether you take Ferrari (1999-2004), Red Bull Racing (2009-2013) or Mercedes (2014-2020), there was always that situation.

A star driver speaks for himself. If you have a good car, you want the best driver to get the most out of it. Then, when it comes to a championship battle, that star driver must beat the rival. Everyone wants to be the star driver, but the man next to him is perhaps just as important for the team but also for the star driver.

After all, if you add a second driver who also wants to win titles himself, then you have a problem. Take Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton at McLaren in 2007. Alonso thought he was the leader as a two-time world champion, but Hamilton was too fast and wanted to win himself. Within the team, a split ensued. That never helps in a team's progress.

Not only does it split a team, but the development of a car is not optimal either. The Ferrari was optimised to Michael Schumacher's wishes between 1996 and 2006. The German was the benchmark for the entire team. That is what works; he was listened to. Eddie Ervine, Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa did help, but Schumacher came first. If he wanted something, it happened.

That direct approach helps develop a car. Each driver has slightly different preferences, no matter how similar they are. In the 2007 example, Hamilton might've want just a bit more or less understeer than Alonso. The problem: the team chooses to compromise. They might follow Hamilton's direction there and, in the next debate, follow Alonso. The end result: you don't get the optimal car.

Besides, it also creates peace on the track. If two drivers are too close to each other, they also regularly battle each other. As a result, they lose time compared to the competition or worse: they crash together. This potentially costs a team time, points, budget and thus money.

If drivers are so equal, they also expect to earn the same. Although the budget cap does not cover driver contracts, it is not desirable for any team to have two Verstappens worth around 50 million under contract. So opting for a different structure is also desirable financially.

Finally, there is also something to be said about the mental side of this story. A star driver who feels fully support from his team on and off the track will logically perform better. For this, see examples like Schumacher, Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and now Max Verstappen. If you put a driver next to him who tampers with that leading position, you will see the confidence disappear. For example, Hamilton has to prove himself again with George Russell next to him, just as Vettel once had to do with Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) as new teammates.

Why Japan showed how vital the line-up is

Why this story, during a weekend when Perez made so many mistakes? This story is not necessarily from Perez's side but from the perspective of other teams. Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari 'deliberately' chose a supposedly equal and therefore 'stronger' line-up. However, the Japanese Grand Prix showed how problematic that is for a team.

At Mercedes, it was most evident between the two drivers, who increasingly ended up together on track anyway. In qualifying in 2023, the gap averages at just 0.022s. The smallest difference of any team. Heartening, of course, but it also creates problems. In Japan, the time loss when they battled each other may also have helped Ferrari to pick up more points. In Singapore, you could even argue that Russell would never have crashed had Hamilton not been so close behind him. The same can be said of the mistakes you saw Hamilton make in Japan with Russell behind him.

Ferrari is facing the same problem. Sainz and Leclerc are also extremely close together despite how much the clever Frederic Vasseur would like a clear number one as he always had at Alfa Romeo. At Ferrari, you can also see the political and sporting problems arising. Both drivers want to win, but always at the team's expense.

The problem is still in its infancy at McLaren because Oscar Piastri is just a rookie, but his contract through 2026 is asking for trouble. Lando Norris was the man beating Daniel Ricciardo but now has to prove himself every weekend. You can already see the frustration growing. The two are currently friendly with each other, but what will that be like when Piastri continues to grow and is perhaps better than Norris? Will they still be as kind to each other then too? Probably not.

Is Perez Verstappen's ideal number two?

So an ideal number two is someone who supports the car's development and scores enough points to maximise his performance in the constructors' world championship. However poorly Perez drove in Japan last weekend, you cannot say he does not meet that requirement. Perez is second in the drivers' standings, and Red Bull Racing have already crowned themselves world champions at Suzuka.

If you look at the underlying figures, the difference is perhaps a little too great. Perez qualifies 0.385s slower than Verstappen on average in 2023 and is 14-1 behind in the qualifying duel. The difference is similar to 2021 (0.433s and 21-1) but worse than last year (0.309s and 18-4). Perez and Red Bull had hoped to continue that line, but there is no sign of that yet.

Ideally, Perez would sit closer to Verstappen. Valtteri Bottas, for instance, was about two to three-tenths off Hamilton on average during his time at Mercedes. The Finn was also called the ideal number two. Bottas could qualify ahead of Hamilton more often but possessed less racecraft than Perez. The Mexican is better at overtaking races than Bottas ever showed. Bottas, on the other hand, was then less likely to make Perez's mistakes, like in Singapore and Japan.

Who could replace Perez?

Yet it is not so easy to say that Perez should just be thrown out by Red Bull Racing because who would be his replacement? Alexander Albon (0.597s and 17-0 in the 2020 qualifying duel) and Pierre Gasly (0.426s) showed that this task cannot be entrusted to young talents. Of course, the car was worse than today's RB19, but Verstappen also has a very specific driving style that many drivers struggle with.

So what typifies good second drivers like Barrichello, Mark Webber, Bottas and Perez (in 2022)? First, they turned out to be very fast drivers when racing for midfield teams. They already had several seasons behind them in F1 when they moved to that top team and are ambitious drivers but not necessarily the greatest talents. In other words, fast drivers who are immensely happy with a move to a top team.

Of that profile, however, very few drivers are currently in Formula 1. Carlos Sainz might be the best number two, but Sainz himself aspires to a front-runner role. Hence the rumours of a move to Audi. Sainz himself has a lot of ambitions, which is why things don't quite work out between him and Leclerc at Ferrari either.

Lando Norris is a driver mentioned a lot, but you cannot imagine him settling for a role as second fiddle either. Besides Verstappen, you do need that. Verstappen needs all the confidence he can get from Red Bull Racing, at least until 2028. So you don't need a type like Norris. He wants to be a world champion himself.

Of the other drivers who are currently 'overperforming' at the mid-tier teams, there's no improvement on Perez at first glance. Bottas was happy to leave Mercedes as a second driver and start a new life at Alfa Romeo. You can't see him returning to another top team so soon. Besides, it remains to be seen whether he would really be an upgrade over Perez. Daniel Ricciardo is vying for Perez's seat but has not been able to show enough since his poor two seasons at McLaren to convince the Red Bull management that he is better than the Mexican.

Nico Hulkenberg is doing well at Haas, but is he an improvement on Perez? If you look at the duels between the two in the past, you would think not. Alexander Albon has developed at Williams, but will he leave the leading driver role at Williams for an uncertain role at Red Bull Racing? The Thai himself now knows how quickly things can go downhill with your career. It would be wiser for him to stay at Williams, as crazy as that may sound.

Red Bull must keep faith in Perez right now

The successor to Perez is simply not ready. Besides, Perez has also performed the minimum in this down year. The chances of him finishing second in the battle for the world title are pretty good, and the world title in the constructors is already in the bag. Of all the races not won by Max Verstappen, Perez won two out of three. So he was often there when he had to be. You can want more, but is that realistic on Verstappen's side?

Right now, when Perez is in quite a deep hole mentally, Red Bull should express confidence in their driver. In 2024, they may decide what they want to do for 2025, but right now, Red Bull should get behind Perez. With more confidence, Perez should also be able to perform better because there should be no doubt that he is now under high stress.

An important role in this is also reserved for Helmut Marko. No, he is not officially under contract at Red Bull Racing, but everyone knows his influence on driver selection. The fact that the Austrian keeps openly criticising Perez despite a contract until 2024 does little to boost his confidence. Marko would do well to express his confidence in Perez. It would certainly not make Perez's performance worse. The question is whether that is in Marko's character, but as Christian Horner said: 'Even at the age of 80, you can still learn.'