F1 Expert Warns Red Bull Risks Benetton's Post-Schumacher Fate Without Max Verstappen

F1 Expert Warns Red Bull Risks Benetton's Post-Schumacher Fate Without Max Verstappen

Why it matters: Former F1 driver and Sky expert Karun Chandhok believes Red Bull is critically dependent on Max Verstappen. He warns that if Verstappen were to leave, the team could face a significant decline, similar to Benetton after Michael Schumacher's departure.

The big picture: Verstappen is signed with Red Bull until at least 2026, a commitment Chandhok deems essential. He suggests the Red Bull car is so precisely tailored to Verstappen's unique driving style that other drivers struggle to adapt, leading to a long history of teammates failing to match his pace.

The details:

• Since Daniel Ricciardo's departure in 2018, no Red Bull teammate has come close to Verstappen's performance level.
• Drivers like Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, and Sergio Pérez all struggled to deliver consistent results, despite their talents.
• Current junior drivers Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda also face significant challenges with the car.

The Schumacher-Benetton parallel:

• Chandhok draws a direct comparison to Michael Schumacher's dominance at Benetton in the mid-1990s.
• Schumacher won two titles with Benetton (1994, 1995), often significantly outperforming teammates like Jos Verstappen and Johnny Herbert.
• After Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996, Benetton saw a dramatic drop in performance, fading into the midfield despite having talented drivers like Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger.
• It took Benetton, under its new identity as Renault, nearly a decade (until 2005 with Fernando Alonso) to reclaim a world championship.

The MotoGP analogy:

• Chandhok also cites Ducati's situation in MotoGP, where for years their bikes were designed for a specific riding style.
• Casey Stoner won a title in 2007, but it took 15 years for Francesco Bagnaia to secure another championship, with even Valentino Rossi struggling on the Ducati.

What's next:

• Chandhok advises other drivers against joining Red Bull currently, suggesting that the car's demands are too extreme.
• He recommends up-and-coming talents like Isack Hadjar consider teams like Ferrari or Aston Martin instead.
• Red Bull has a history of struggling to nurture talent alongside Verstappen, making his retention until 2028 a top priority to avoid a similar fate to Benetton.