Peter Windsor picks surprise F1 driver as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate replacing Sergio Perez next season
F1 pundit and renowned journalist Peter Windsor believes Nico Hulkenberg would be the perfect Red Bull teammate to Max Verstappen next year. Verstappen's current teammate Sergio Perez has fallen off and is now 69 points behind the two-time world champion.
Hulkenberg had an impressive qualifying session at the 2023 Canadian GP, finishing P2 in the rainy conditions in his Haas. However, the German was given a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow down under red-flag conditions, resulting in a fifth-place start in Montreal.
Canadian Grand Prix lap time comparison between Max Verstappen, Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso
#F1 #CanadianGP https://t.co/4vWF1ORedk
Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez struggled in Canada and was unable to get temperatures into his tires in Q1 and Q2. Hulkenberg's performance relative to Perez has made Windsor wonder if the German would be a better fit for Max Verstappen and Red Bull in 2024.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Windsor said:
“You’ve got to think, when they look at the times, do they think: ‘Well, why aren’t we running Nico Hulkenberg in the other car?’ Talk about the perfect number two to Max Verstappen. He wouldn’t want to say number two, of course. Great job again by Nico."
Windsor continued:
“How many times have we seen him go well in these semi-wet conditions, going right back to that pole he had in Brazil for Williams? Just a brilliant drive right out of the box."
Is Max Verstappen masking Red Bull's true potential?
F1 pundit Scott Mitchell-Malm believes that while it is often exaggerated that Max Verstappen is using only 70% of his skills in 2023, the reality is that the Dutchman backs off by a 'percent or two'.
With his win in Montreal, Verstappen gifted Red Bull their 100th win in the sport. In doing so, the Dutchman has now equaled Ayrton Senna's win record with 41 victories to his name. The two-time world champion has been accused of hiding his true pace by many in the sport due to potential intervention from the FIA.
Nico Hulkenberg is out of the car and celebrating P2 with @HaasF1Team 🥹
What a mighty effort by the Hulk! 👊
#CanadianGP #F1 https://t.co/xCU4QMJFKP
However, Mitchell-Malm doesn't believe this to be true, claiming that the Dutchman holds back only by a percent or two when needed. Being in the fastest car, and being in dominant form himself, Verstappen doesn't need to push as hard as his rivals.
Speaking to The Race podcast, Mitchell-Malm said:
"We sometimes exaggerate and say that Verstappen is running at 70-80% and is unleashing what he needs to when he needs to. Reality is, it's a percent or two, isn't it? It's backing off that little bit that he doesn't need to run entry and exit kerbs as aggressively. It's all these little things that take the edge off."
With the gap to Red Bull reducing, it will be interesting to watch the remainder of the season play out.