Even Verstappen's Speed Wouldn't Be Enough For Mercedes To Win Says Schumacher

Wednesday, 20 March 2024 at 10:30

Ralf Schumacher was convinced during his most recent interview that even Max Verstappen wouldn't be able to score a win in a Mercedes.

Max Verstappen has driven flawlessly in the first two races of the 2024 season. He achieved the pole in qualifying and went on to cross the finish line in first place with a comfortable gap both in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

At the moment, he has the luxury of the fastest car on the grid. However, it was rumored the 26-year-old would be considering leaving Red Bull and possibly going to Mercedes.

As Giancarlo Fisichella said, this move would make no sense because it would kill his own chances of competing for the Championship.

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We asked our fans on Facebook a few weeks ago whether they thought Verstappen could win in a Mercedes, and many were convinced the Dutchman would be able to collect at least a few victories.

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, on the other hand, doesn't think so. During his most recent interview with sport1.de, he said:

"Mercedes is too far away for that at the moment. For the third year in a row. Toto Wolff often seems resigned during interviews these days."

"Somehow, the Mercedes technicians still haven't understood the new vehicle concept. Even if Max is really - as suspected - 0.3 seconds faster than the rest, it wouldn't be enough to win at the moment. But it would make everything more exciting, without question."

The 48-year-old analyzed the situation from a logical perspective. Mercedes currently lacks more than half a second on the leading Red Bull in race pace.

So even if Verstappen was 0.3 seconds per lap quicker than everyone else, the German suggested it wouldn't be enough to compete for race wins in a Mercedes.

The triple World Champion himself said earlier this year that he believed a driver could make about 0.2 seconds per lap difference.