Could Lewis really match or beat Max as teamate in Red Bull RB19?

[John S]

In between dissing Perez, Lewis claims that he could do a better job and give Max a run for the money at the front of GPs.

Now you can take a view on who would win a shootout in RB19s with Max & Lewis as equal teamates - no No1 special status or treatment for either.

I personally think Lewis would be out raced by Max.

I feel we should all be glad it'll never take place as seeing older champions being unable to get upper hand on young whipper snappers is a sad affair.
I remember all too well when Schumi failed to get on top of Rosberg in Merc team, kinda took a bit of the shine off his wonderful win record.

Lewis Hamilton has insisted he would run Max Verstappen a lot closer than the Dutchman's teammate Sergio Perez is currently managing to do in the same car.

Red Bull's RB19 has proved the class of the field so far in 2023, with Verstappen and Perez winning all 12 Grands Prix and three Sprint events this year.

But while the Dutchman has proved untouchable in recent weeks, winning eight Grands Prix on the trot, Perez has come in for criticism for his relative underperformance, with several errors notably afflicting his Qualifying sessions that have then compromised his races.

Verstappen currently enjoys a 125-point lead over Perez in the Drivers' Championship, but Hamilton said that if he were in Red Bull's other car, he would be running the World Champion a lot closer.

Above extracts courtesy Racingnews365.com, yesterday.

[Dare]

I hope we never find out. Personally I think Lewis might win
the rare race like Sergio.

[Jericoke]

So the RB19 is designed for Max to suit his strengths, and we have a fantastic synthesis of driver/machine:  advantage Max

Lewis Hamilton understands that winning a championship is a grind, and he has won a few championships by grinding out out, not simply having the best car.  Max has the skill and the car, but he's never had to grind.  Lewis could find a way to get under Max's skin:  advantage Hamilton.

A single race, I'd pick Max, but a full season where the drivers are treated 'equally', where Hamilton can be full Hamilton, I'd pick Lewis.  I also think that Max would learn from that (a la Rosberg) and become better for it.

[lkjohnson1950]

I think the whole Red Bull team has done a number on Sergio's head. Once you start to doubt yourself in a racing car, it's extremely difficult to regain that confidence. I think Lewis is a better driver than Sergio and would give Max a closer fight. Even Lewis would have a tough time dealing with an  entire team that's lined up solidly behind Max. 

Red Bull's floor has a couple of channels that have blocks across them, something I haven't seen on other floor pictures. I wonder if these bleed off some aero at high speeds. If they have a way to reduce the floor's effectiveness at top speed without sacrificing too much at low to medium speeds that would explain why they have always porpoised less and have more top end than the rest of the field.

[John S]

I think the whole Red Bull team has done a number on Sergio's head. Once you start to doubt yourself in a racing car, it's extremely difficult to regain that confidence. I think Lewis is a better driver than Sergio and would give Max a closer fight. Even Lewis would have a tough time dealing with an  entire team that's lined up solidly behind Max. 

Yeah but did you vote Lonny? There's an option to sit on the fence. 

Like your thoughts about Red Bull floor,  maybe you've cracked the Newey code. 

[cosworth151]

I voted for Lewis. Max does well in a superior car that is set up perfectly for him. I don't think he could make it out of Q1 in a porpoising, underpowered, poor handling beast like like the W14.

It is fun to speculate on the radio calls Max would be making from a W14. 

[Jericoke]

I voted for Lewis. Max does well in a superior car that is set up perfectly for him. I don't think he could make it out of Q1 in a porpoising, underpowered, poor handling beast like like the W14.

It is fun to speculate on the radio calls Max would be making from a W14. 

I've said before that an underrated skill in being an F1 driver is the ability to get yourself onto the team that is going to help you the most.  Vettel, Verstappen and Hamilton have all done a great job of that.  Alonso, Ricciardo, not so much.

As much as I like to bag on Max, he's a skilled driver.  Perez is a race winner in a notthebestcar, and he's been ridiculously outclassed by Max.  I think he would adapt better than most.  He may have had a short junior career, but he found success wherever he went.  I'm not suggesting he's going to make the Haas a winning car, but even though he hasn't faced adversity with a 'weak' car, I think he could overcome it as good as anyone on the grid.  Maybe not the best all time, but at least as good as 2023 Hamilton or Alonso.

The scary part is that Max has room to improve, when he does face adversity.  When he does face an opponent he has to grind out wins against.  I think Hamilton was blessed with great teammates (seriously how many rookies join up alongside a twice defending champion?  Teamed with another champion, replace a legendary champion, team with a future champion) which only helped him.

Max needs a real opponent to become legendary.  Watching an F1 video where the drivers name a winner for each letter of the alphabet, most drivers chose Senna, not Schumacher.  All of them would have grown up watching Michael become the most dominant racer of all time, but they still think 'Senna' first.  If Max keeps walking to wins and championships, he's going to be forgotten.

[Willy]

Age will be a major determining factor.

Max has faster reflexes than Lewis and this is totally due to being that much younger.
 
Lewis has the experience that Max does not have yet but he gains it every race.

Having said all that, I believe once Lewis gets used to the RB he will be huge challenge to Max, but not for long.

I don't really want to see this pairing thou.

[Dare]

Max has been in F1 for 10 years now so I don't think
Hamilton has a edge on experience. On a side note I
looked up Max to see how many years in F1 and saw his
pardner is Nelson Piquet's daughter. I guess there's someone for
everybody

[lkjohnson1950]

I've frequently said that I don't think Schumacher was as talented a driver as others were. He was an excellent, dedicated test driver. Nobody spent as much time in the car as Schumacher. No other team had a facility like Fiorano. I think the year he broke his leg at Silverstone is proof. As I remember, every race after that Irvine became less and less competitive. Because Michael wasn't testing and the car wasn't being developed at the pace they had before. That's not to say Michael wasn't one of the 10 best all time, I just wouldn't put him top 5.

[Jericoke]

I've frequently said that I don't think Schumacher was as talented a driver as others were. He was an excellent, dedicated test driver. Nobody spent as much time in the car as Schumacher. No other team had a facility like Fiorano. I think the year he broke his leg at Silverstone is proof. As I remember, every race after that Irvine became less and less competitive. Because Michael wasn't testing and the car wasn't being developed at the pace they had before. That's not to say Michael wasn't one of the 10 best all time, I just wouldn't put him top 5.

It also shows there are different ways to be 'best'.  Even if Schumacher didn't have the 'skill' of someone like Senna, that relentless testing is its own skill.  Imagine if Hamilton or Stewart or anyone had the resources for car development that Schumacher had. 

Hamilton getting the attention of Ron Dennis as a teen changed F1 for a generation, as teams started to get their 'claws' into drivers at younger and younger ages.

Button deciding that contracts weren't as iron clad as the team principals hoped, and that drivers aren't 'property' meaning that teams really do have to treat drivers well.  (I thought him a spoiled diva at the time, but I see now that he changed the sport to the good)

I disagree with everything I hear about Jos and how he 'raised' Max, but it's gotten results.  I fear there's a generation of young drivers being pushed like never before.  (I know this isn't unique to F1 in the sports world, hell, I'm sure in any discipline:  music, art, computers, accounting, hair care, etc. there's parents pushing their children to absurd levels that aren't healthy)

Raw skill is the most exciting way to win a championship for sure, but I like that there's more than one way.  That's one reason I like Hamilton so much.  He whines more than I'd like, sure, but he's got the skills in the car, but he also has the dedication as well.  He gives everything he can to F1, and I know that's something he learned growing up.  His parents gave him everything they could, so the least he could do is give everything he has.

[rmassart]

Raw skill is the most exciting way to win a championship for sure.

Unfortunately raw skill won't get you very far in top end sport. To be successful above all else requires a level of dedication most people can't cope with (well certainly not me anyway!). Of course that's about refining your skill, but without it you will never get to the level needed, no matter how much innate skill you have. It also requires a certain ruthlessness many people would be uncomfortable with.

A perfect example, if I remember correctly, are Schumacher and Heinz Harald Frentzen. Anyone remember him?  HHF was offered a Williams drive after Senna was killed, but decided to honour his contract with Sauber. At that point he was considered to be on par with Schumacher. He ended up with one F1 race win to his name. Frank Williams later said he didn't know anyone else with as good a feeling for the car as HHF, but he was simply too soft for the business of F1.

And on top of all that, it does require your fair share of luck. I'd like to think that at least in sport luck comes after skill and dedication.