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Why generational peers of Verstappen cannot match Max
Helmut Marko does not see Max Verstappen being easily challenged by his contemporaries. Whereas in recent years Verstappen could hardly be caught out by mistakes, Marko sees those mistakes in his rivals.
Max Verstappen dominated the Formula 1 season in 2023. The Red Bull Racing driver won no less than 19 out of 22 Grands Prix. An absolute record in F1. Verstappen was helped in this by the sublime RB19, but Verstappen himself also makes an important contribution. Indeed, Marko does not see competitors being able to do anything comparable to Max.
Why Norris and Leclerc are not winning over Verstappen
''Leclerc and Norris are certainly exceptional talents. But both have shown weaknesses in consistency in the past. In addition: Max is not yet at his limit. He will get even better. It is our job to provide him with a car that is as good as the one in 2023. Then he will be the benchmark again,'' the Red Bull adviser told F1-insider.com.
Leclerc fought another duel with Verstappen at the start of 2022, but was eventually forced to concede due to his own mistakes and mistakes by Ferrari. Norris has never been in a title battle with Verstappen. The Brit did come close to Verstappen on a few occasions. At the Sao Paulo GP, Norris was close, but failed to pass the Dutchman at the time. At Silverstone, Norris did pass his friend at the start, but Verstappen made up for it within a few laps.