Sep.3 (GMM) Fernando Alonso joked after Zandvoort that if Max Verstappen had been driving a Racing Bulls, he might already be world champion again.
The quip followed Isack Hadjar’s breakthrough podium – achieved in the junior Red Bull-owned team’s car also piloted by Liam Lawson.
Verstappen himself admitted after finishing second that the senior squad’s machinery is lacking. “Of course I’m happy to be on the podium,” he told Viaplay. “But in terms of speed, it wasn’t good. Third place was solely due to qualifying.”
The Dutchman only inherited second when Lando Norris retired. “We were battling with Racing Bulls, our smaller team, the whole race,” Verstappen explained. “It’s not good. The car is just not fast enough.”
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko also conceded the scale of the problem. He told sterreich that the gap to McLaren was “huge – a second per lap” in the Dutch GP if Norris and Oscar Piastri had been pushing.
That reality has sparked a tongue-in-cheek theory that Verstappen should simply swap into a Racing Bulls to chase his fifth world championship.
“I guess we’re joking about it, like everyone else,” said Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer. “But at the end of the day, we’re two teams that operate differently, and it’s not really an issue. It’s more of a running joke for everyone, but it’s like flying to the moon – it’s just not something that’s going to happen.”
Team boss Alan Permane was equally dismissive when asked if Verstappen might at least sample the car in practice. “Someone asked me about it this weekend,” he revealed. “Whether Max will be with us in FP1. Of course not. We’re focused on getting the most out of our car, just as Red Bull is focused on getting the most out of theirs.”
Still, with Hadjar only seconds behind Verstappen at the chequered flag, speculation lingers about how far the rookie will be allowed to push against the parent team.
“If he was not allowed to try to overtake Verstappen, it would be a violation of the regulations,” team principal Laurent Mekies insisted. “So the answer is yes, of course, Hadjar is allowed to attack the Red Bull cars.”
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