As Red Bull tested Liam Lawson in an outing that could limit Red Bull’s 2025 driver line-up, or even this year’s Dutch GP, Allard Kalff warned that no teammate would not compete with Max Verstappen since the second pilot. he’s “just screwed. “
Joining Red Bull’s senior team in 2016, Verstappen faced a challenge from Daniel Ricciardo, who opted to leave the team at the end of the 2018 season, when the more sensible bosses were in. Verstappen.
Ricciardo’s wonderful departure, which would have been a surprise even to team boss Christian Horner, means Pierre Gasly was promoted sooner than Red Bull had wanted.
He competed in all 12 races before being demoted to Alex Albon. But although the Thai-British driver lasted more than a season, his racing career was cut short when Red Bull dropped him as a control driver and put Sergio Perez in the car. 2021.
In this case too, longevity is guaranteed.
Although Red Bull shrugged off his 2023 crash to honour the second year of his extension and even followed up on a two-year contract, his recent form has prompted team boss Christian Horner to admit it is “unsustainable”.
Pérez would face the chopping block if he is more than a hundred problems behind Max Verstappen in the summer break, and with two races between now and then, he is 137 problems behind.
This paves the way for Red Bull to field its drivers in the RB20 alongside Verstappen for the final 10 races of this season.
Kalff, however, wonders if he will be able to perform the task alongside the reigning world champion.
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“Max Verstappen came to Red Bull and at that time he had a teammate, Daniel Ricciardo. He left with his tail between his legs on the team,” Kalff said on Viaplay’s “In de Slipstream. “
“Then Pierre Gasly arrived, they took him in the car with Max. He was driving by the ears through Alex Albon in a Toro Rosso. “You know what? We are going to manufacture them. “
“Alex Albon next to Max Verstappen. I’m in the most sensible place on the list at that moment, it’s the ‘we’re going to go off track’ list. The rest is just drama.
“He may not remain in Max Verstappen’s shadow, although he was a bit unlucky when Hamilton chased him a couple of times when he could have been on the podium, but hey.
“In the end, Albon was also ruled out, because he too could not get more than a moment closer to Verstappen.
“We will choose Sergio Pérez, because it occurs to him to win a Grand Prix. “
“He’s lucky that the car worked straight up and he’s close to Verstappen and played a big part when Max Verstappen was able to win his first championship. He’s the second best driver. “
But times have changed since then.
Although Red Bull dominated the first two seasons of F1’s ground-effect aerodynamic era, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes have all won Grands Prix this year.
Without Pérez making big problems, Red Bull faces a real threat in the constructors’ championship and needs a second driver capable of making problems on a regular basis.
Kalff, however, fears the Red Bull No. 2 is simply “screwed” with an RB20 that suits Verstappen.
“Now we have a situation where the car no longer works, so the moment the driving force is ruined, because it doesn’t matter who drives it,” he said.
“They don’t do anything with this car. Whether you put Albon, Gasly, Perez or Ricciardo, it’s nothing.
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