Former Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer has only positive words for Max Verstappen. Nowadays, the Dutchman is sometimes criticized for making Formula 1 sport boring due to his continued dominance, but the former team boss thinks that criticism is completely unjustified. Szafnauer also reveals who from the current grid he would like to see compete against Verstappen.
Verstappen has started the 2024 season with a lot of force majeure, and has already managed to cross the finish line first in four of the five races. As a result, Formula 1 often faces criticism that motorsport is boring when Verstappen is at the start of a race. Former Alpine team boss Szafnauer thinks this criticism is completely unjustified. “You cannot take Max away (from Formula 1, ed.),” says the former team boss, according to the Daily Mail. ‘The sport has been through this before. Max won’t remain champion forever. It will change. We have had Michael (Schumacher, ed.) and Lewis (Hamilton, ed.) before.’
According to Szafnauer, the criticism mainly comes from newer fans. ‘Now you have the Netflix fans who are just getting to know it (Formula 1, ed.) and you don’t want to lose them, but if Max wins all the time, will you lose them? I don’t know the answer to that. But we should celebrate Max for his genius and not chastise him,” the Romanian engineer praised the Dutchman’s performance.
Szafnauer knows who he wants to see against Verstappen
Szafnauer is then asked who on the current grid could possibly compete against Verstappen, and thus make things more exciting in Formula 1, to which the former team boss answers in detail. ‘Who would you put in front of Max? I love Lewis, but he is at a different stage of his career. I would take Lando (Norris, ed.) against Max’, is ultimately Szafnauer’s answer. “I’m not saying Lando should do that, but you’re asking me who could beat Max.”
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However, the former Alpine team boss also has another driver on the list of potential candidates to compete with Verstappen: Hamilton. Although Szafnauer immediately questions his own suggestion. ‘I have no idea (whether Lewis has passed his peak, ed.). It’s really difficult to know: you have to drive with the same equipment. But what I respect about Lewis is that he works super hard and is a great racer.’
Szafnauer also sees that Hamilton can still show good driving skills, even now that the seven-time world champion has to contend with a fickle W15 car. ‘I was watching the last race in China and he was behind one of the Alpines and he said on the radio that he couldn’t overtake him. I then look at the lap times and he was right, the lap times were similar. But where did he end up? In the points. He’s a great racer and he doesn’t give up and he’s very respectful on the race track, which is something I admire as well.”
