Verstappen Describes How Much Difference Driver Can Make Even Without Fastest Car

Monday, 19 February 2024 at 12:45

Max Verstappen shared his opinion on the topic of how much influence a driver can have on the results of his team.

Many new F1 fans first see the sport as only a battle between the 20 drivers on the grid. But as we know, there are teams including thousands of people behind them who work tirelessly for the success of their teams.

F1 is probably even more a development race than it is a race between the drivers. On the one hand, they are the ones who have to deliver the results.

When former team principal of the Haas F1 team, Guenther Steiner, was asked which one person he would pick from the whole paddock if he could join his team, he said Adrian Newey.

The reason that he gave was that he needed a faster car. He suggested not even Max Verstappen would be able to win races with what Haas had in 2023 (the team finished last in the championship).

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On the other hand, last season was a pretty good example of how big of a difference a driver can make because there was a sizeable gap between Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez.

The Dutchman, by himself, amassed more points than the second-best team (consisting of two drivers) in the Constructors' Championship and two times more points than the second-best driver in the Drivers' Championship.

Meanwhile, Perez secured his second place in the Drivers' Championship only one race before the end of the season and finished "only" 51 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton in third place.

All that difference was achieved by one or two tenths of a second per lap. In an interview with Motorsport Magazine, the triple World Champion asserted that 1-2 tenths of a second is precisely the difference a driver can make.

"When I have a car, of course, I always try to make it faster. But you can only do that to a certain extent. I believe that in a tight duel where one or two-tenths are at stake, you, as a driver, can make the difference. But if there is more than that, it becomes very difficult."