3 F1 drivers who can beat Max Verstappen in the same team

Max Verstappen is the best driver on the grid right now. The two titles and the ever-increasing number in the wins column are proof of that. What works for Verstappen is not only the fact that he's the fastest driver on the grid but also the fact that he's the most consistent and versatile.

The driver very rarely has a bad weekend and makes the least mistakes over a season out of any driver on the grid. To top it all off, the driver is stunning in all conditions. Whether it is your conventional dry track or when it rains, the driver continues to perform at a very high level.

When you think about it, he might just be one of the more perfect drivers we've had in the sport. This is precisely why it is a very interesting question to answer when we think of the drivers that could beat Verstappen.

Is there any driver that can go toe-to-toe with the Red Bull driver on the same team and even beat him? On the basis of the current form? Maybe not. There's no one that could do that. However, what if someone improves a little or the conditions become favorable to them?

Can we see an upset? The answer is yes. Max Verstappen, like any other driver, can be beaten and in this feature, we will take a look at three drivers that have the potential to beat Max Verstappen in the same car.

3 F1 drivers that can be Max Verstappen-beaters

#1 George Russell

George Russell is arguably one of the silent assassins in F1. The kid keeps on producing stunning results over and over, but he still keeps a low profile. Even last season at Mercedes, Russell went on a 7-race run of finishing ahead of Hamilton in every race, yet you didn’t see him make much of a fuss about it.

In terms of skill and talent, Russell ranks high up the ladder alongside the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and others. He's great in all conditions, and exceptional in wet weather as well. One of the hallmarks of his 2022 F1 season was his ability to consistently keep producing results.

With the same team as Max Verstappen, yes, Russell will be the underdog, but is there potential in that relentless approach to putting together a season where he outscores Verstappen? Sure, it could very well happen.

#2 Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen have locked horns throughout their childhood and have been at it since they started karting. Having said that, while Verstappen has gone on to become a two-time world champion already, Charles is yet to put together a proper title challenge.

Now, this might be a very bold claim, but in terms of one-lap pace, Charles Leclerc might even be better than Max Verstappen. The Ferrari driver has made a career out of producing one stunning qualifying lap after the other and the assertion that he might be the best qualifier in F1 is not a far fetched statement either way.

Where Charles Leclerc has fallen short is composure as he gets too emotional at times. If he can work on that part, Charles Leclerc is surely the one driver that could take it to Verstappen and even beat him in the same car.

#3 Lando Norris

The curious thing about Lando Norris is that the kid is almost 2-3 years younger than everyone else on this list and it's almost hard to determine how good he really is. His partnership with Daniel Ricciardo has further confused the situation as it is hard to make a clear assessment now. Was Daniel Ricciardo falling off the wagon or was Norris just doing unreal things in that car?

Despite question marks over his peak performance and how they match up with others, there's one thing that's quite obvious for anyone to notice: the kid is very consistent. He doesn't make mistakes, he tends to extract the maximum from a car and is excellent in wet weather. In the same car, depending on the circumstances, it's not a far-fetched to think that Norris might just be the biggest challenge for Verstappen out of everyone else.

Honorable exceptions(Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso)

It might come as a surprise not to see two F1 legends on the list. Especially with drivers like Leclerc Norris and Russell making it. However, there are precise reasons for that. For Lewis Hamilton, it comes down to the fact that the driver is now much older. Because of that, improvements are rare at this age. The driver fell short against Max Verstappen in 2021 when it came to consistency.

It is hard to see him making improvements at this stage of his career and hence beating Max Verstappen. Similarly for Fernando Alonso, when you've crossed 40, your reflexes are not the same and while he's still performing at a very high level, he's not at his peak. To beat Max Verstappen, you have to be in peak conditions at all times, Alonso just isn't, and in the same car, that's going to cause a lot of issues.