F1 pundit speculates whether Max Verstappen beats Sergio Perez even if the Dutchman is on a Ferrari or a Mercedes

Former F1 driver and pundit Hans-Joachim Stuck recently discussed whether Max Verstappen could beat Sergio Perez if the Dutchman was in an inferior car.

The 2023 F1 season has been a disappointing one for Perez. The Mexican had a strong start to the season, winning two of the first four races. Since then, however, things have gone south.

Verstappen, on the other hand, has gone on an impressive winning streak. Since the race in Baku, the fourth of the season, the 26-year-old has only lost one race. After winning races in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, Perez has struggled to win.

In a conversation with Eurosport, former F1 racer Hans-Joachim Stuck said that he was intrigued with the prospect of Max Verstappen taking on Sergio Perez in an inferior car like a Mercedes or a Ferrari, and wondered whether he was capable of still beating the Mexican. He said:

“For me, Verstappen is currently the best in the field – by far. I often watch slow motions and there is no one who implements his own abilities more consistently than Verstappen. Of course, he also has the right car. One of his big advantages is that he can adapt his car perfectly to his abilities on the track."

He added:

"If you put Verstappen in a Mercedes or Ferrari, it would be interesting to see if he could still beat Pérez. Alonso in the Red Bull, Verstappen in the Ferrari – that would actually be exciting! But such thoughts are the essence of sport.”

Fernando Alonso will be much closer to Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Stuck also advocated giving the second seat at Red Bull to Fernando Alonso, replacing Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen's teammate. Advocating that the Spaniard would be much closer in pace to the reigning world champion, the former driver said:

“One can only hope that someone else will come to the Red Bull. I think it would be great if Alonso was put in the Red Bull. And the rumours are there. He denies it completely, but there may be a reason for that. Pérez is doing a great job and is clearly number two. This situation obviously helps Red Bull in that there is calm within the team."

He added:

"But if Red Bull gets a driver like Alonso on board, the team can improve itself a bit. At some point, the time will come when the competition will be closer again. Then it would be an advantage to have two really hot irons in the fire. In my opinion, Alonso in particular could achieve a lot at Red Bull."

For now, it does appear that Sergio Perez will partner with Max Verstappen at Red Bull next season. The Mexican will however need to be in top form to get the best results out of the car every race to prevent being axed by the team.