15/08/2023
NEWS STORY
Insisting that it is Max Verstappen who is "killing everyone" out there, McLaren boss, Zak Brown laments the fact that Red Bull doesn't have two drivers of Sergio Perez's calibre.
As we've said before, we are sure that in the same way that there are fans out there who will still go to the trouble of compiling championship standings based on the old points systems, there will be some working on the 2023 standings but factoring Max Verstappen out of the picture.
Much like that golden era of the late 90s early 2000s, when the combination of Schumacher, Brawn, Byrne and Todt at Ferrari was all-conquering, so too Verstappen, Newey and Horner at Red Bull.
Drivers and team bosses alike have said how exciting the championship battle would be without the Dutchman, however, as is so often the case, McLaren's Zak Brown takes it one step further.
"As much as Red Bull's killing everyone right now, it's really Max is killing everyone right now," says Brown, according to ESPN. "That Max, Red Bull combination is just unbeatable at the moment and Max and the team isn't making any mistakes.
"If they had two Sergios in the car, with all due respect, this championship would kind of be wide open," he added. "So you've got something pretty special going on with Max and Red Bull.
"If you take Max out of it and take everyone who's finished second this year and give them a win, it would be a pretty competitive, exciting championship," he insists. "We've had a second, Aston's had a second, Ferrari's had a second, Mercedes has had a second, Sergio's had a second. You would have five teams that would have won a race this year. As soon as we all catch up to Red Bull I think that's going to be the state of play for Formula One."
Asked if he fears Verstappen's dominance will have a detrimental effect on the sport at a time that it is said the be enjoying a global boom, Brown believes this will not be the case.
"No. I think, one, the races are uber exciting. And it's not just about who wins, right? There's racing throughout the field and the racing's been awesome.
"We've seen in other sports, Tiger Woods win every single time out and ratings were never greater because people admire seeing an athlete at the top of the sport," he adds.
"I wouldn't want it to go on forever but I don't think it's hurting us. The depth of competition is fascinating, the races have been super exciting and they tend to cover the whole field. I wouldn't want to see it continue, for selfish reasons, but for right now it's totally sustainable."