© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Dr Helmut Marko has ruled out Lewis Hamilton partnering up with Max Verstappen at Red Bull because the team wants it to be “clear who is the clearly faster number one and who is the number two driver”.
There’s no doubt that Red Bull clearly has the fastest car on the F1 grid right now. Since Sergio Perez is unable to mount any serious challenge to his dominant team-mate Max Verstappen, the Dutch driver is almost guaranteed a win at every race.
Lewis Hamilton, however, recently warned that it would be a different story if he was Verstappen’s team-mate.
“If I was in Sergio’s car, Max would not be having the same time he’s having now,” he said.
When asked about a possible dream team of Hamilton and Verstappen at Red Bull, the team’s advisor Dr Helmut Marko explained why this is not likely to happen.
“The public, the TV viewers and the journalists will certainly love that,” Marko told Motorsport Magazin.
“But we as team management want success and we want to win the championship – if possible both the Drivers’ and Constructors’.
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
“Then it is better if you have a hierarchy, where it is clear who is the clearly faster number one and who is the number two driver.”
Judging by Marko’s words it appears Red Bull sees Sergio Perez as a clear number two driver, and this statement also indicates he believes Verstappen would not be able to assert his dominance if Lewis was his partner.
The Austrian then said he could see McLaren’s Lando Norris in a Red Bull in the future.
“Norris I can still imagine but with Hamilton as a team-mate, I have a hard head. The whole team atmosphere and our performance should not suffer.
“In the past, we saw, for example, Senna and Prost, two superstars, who only looked at each other and put the team in second place,” Marko concluded.
