F1 Champ Snubs Max Verstappen as Red Bull’s Most Valuable Asset, Names Another Key Figure

Formula 1’s rules and regulations, as well as how a team works, have advanced significantly in the modern era. Red Bull, whose blazing tires and rocketship have wiped out the F1 grid, is exclusively associated with performance. Even while everyone is praising Max Verstappen for his supernatural dominance, Mika Hakkinen, an expert and two-time world champion believes not Verstappen but another significant Red Bull member, is responsible for the team’s relentless success.

After the 2022 regulation change, Red Bull was the first team to figure out how to excel with the ground effect formula. Whether it’s the aggressive side pods, the huge DRS advantage, or the intricate floor that makes the RB19 the downforce beast it is. Everything has been well planned and is definitely a masterpiece. After winning 17 out of 22 races the previous season, when Red Bull has continued the winning streak this year, many experts & champions like Hakkinen are debating whether it is Verstappen’s talent or someone else who should be named as the key figure for this resounding dominance.

In response to this precise comprehension, Mika Hakkinen, a two-time world champion who piloted the car Adrian Newey, for his 1998 & ’99 titles, named him as the most essential member of the team rather than Max Verstappen. According to F1 Maximaal, the former champion told the Italian branch of Motorsport.com, “ I know Adrian Newey well, with his cars I won my two world titles. Every time there are technical changes, he comes up with a winning project, he finds solutions within the new rules.” [Translated via Google]

READ MORE: Despite Max Verstappen’s Destructive Dominance, Red Bull’s Superiority Downplayed With Valuable Insights

Yes, it is undeniably true that Red Bull has the fastest speed and their mastermind and Verstappen combinedly have made the team’s pace unrivaled. Yet there are people who believe that despite Max Verstappen’s brilliance and receiving accolades from everyone, the Dutchman still is far away from the tag of the greatest.

Despite being the fifth-best driver of all time Max Verstappen still has a long way to go before being recognized as the “best” driver

With a remarkable 314 points to his record, Verstappen has been the year’s top scorer so far. To demonstrate his dominance thus far, Sergio Perez, who is currently in second position, is well behind the Dutchman with 125 points. Taking into consideration some other stats Verstappen has won 45 Grand Prix and has climbed up to the fifth all-time great’s position. With two world championships already under his belt he is set to win a third one soon. However all these records don’t seem to impress Richard Bradley, the winner of the 2015 Le Mans, as he believes that the Red Bull ace is a long shot to earn the title of best in the world, but why?

The 2015 champion claims that Verstappen has yet to triumph in a car that is substandard and not the fastest on the grid. Through the On-Track GP podcast Bradley remarked, “For me, Max hasn’t proven himself properly in a car which doesn’t have the capability to win yet. I’m not talking one which had a possibility to win, I’m talking one which really didn’t have a chance to win.”

Verstappen has made it apparent that he won’t be sticking in sports for much longer, so it’s difficult to imagine him working for anyone other than Red Bull. Does this mean that his time with Toro Rosso is the sole period he has had with the Substandard team?

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