RB's problem is Gasly. I don't see him supporting Max too much. Max has to do it on his own. Those who say he needs to "step it up" --- when has ever done that?
After Alonso's trash talking of Honda? RB likes to bring up their own talent, so they'll need to find another up and coming driver.
LOL!!! You think Alonso is going to play second fiddle to Mad Max? RB just wants someone who will stay nice and quiet and pick up team points -- BEHIND Max
Historically RB have wons WDC's while still allowing both drivers to duke it out. If they can find someone as fast as Max they'll let them race. It was the same with DR.
Red Bull need someone to back from race 1 to stand the best chance to win the championship, with a Ferrari and Mercedes close (well, we can scrap that Ferrari now possibly). Can't afford to have 2 stars fight each other for points every race.
Max is the star. Ricci knew that and the management was subtle but clear about that according to Ricci as it was
It was a similar situation when Michael joined Benetton. To be fair to Red Bull they absolutely let DR and MV race each other.
I don't get the cries for sacking Gasly after one race. The team screwed him in Quali and he's still fitting in to the team. Hartley is a great driver and Gasly comprehensively schooled him last year. Give the guy a couple of races before public opinion fires him!!
Have you seen how much Red Bull pays its drivers? I doubt very much they could attract a former WDC in their rank.
Most drivers would still drive even if the salary was £100K a year across all teams, as would footballers. They love the sport. A union payscale would bring some order to bloated driver/footballer fees. I once had this very same conversation with Mr. E
MEh, you couldn't get Button back for any amount of money. He's far happier post F1 silliness these days. And who in their right mind would give Alonso a ride in any F1 car? He might be worth 1 second in the cockpit, but he's so emotionally draining to have in the team they will loose 2 seconds right away through chronic entitled primadonna syndrome demotivating the team.
The retainer is a good indication of a driver's worth on the market. A driver may feel snubbed if he is not offered enough, mostly if he has some experience, and some wins Under his belt.
He is the star. But not like he hasn't earned it. Yes made his mistakes, but seemingly learned from that. His qualifying/race record over Ricciardo (no one will argue he's not talented!) has allowed himself into the #1 position. Red Bull have more than enough data collected over the years from their star drivers (Vettel, Ricciardo and Max) to have reason to back Verstappen over Ricciardo. I'd think that Ricciardo is the more marketable driver in any case. Max is hugely popular in the Netherlands (a tiny country) but the racing community is massively divided over whether they like him or hate him. Ricciardo on the other hand is liked just about anywhere....
Jenson Button would drive for free, especially given how the Red Bull Honda is at the front now. Not only that, but I bet Honda would pay for Button out of their pocket. Honda has a great relationship with Button, and the Japanese people love him too.
Button risks to be rather out of shape for driving a top F1 now, don't you think? His last F1 race was in Monaco 2017 in a McLaren, and he ended up colliding with Wehrlein (I think), at the tunnel entrance. Button retired with suspension damage. My recollection is that, towards the end of his F1 career, Button was driving without motivation. But again, it's only my opinion. The idea that you can forever bring drivers from the past and expect them to perform miracles is laughable. Beside, Red Bull's Policy is to look for new blood, not to bring back "has been" in their team.
Of course you can't forever bring back drivers from the past, just look at Robert Kubica. The difference is that Kubica was out of the game a LONG time. Button and Alonso are still fresh off F1 and are still racing. Do you forget Button was also driving a turd? The McLaren has been crap long before Honda and Renault came in the picture.
Button and Alonso were past their peak in their last years in F1, IMO, but that's beside the point. . In any case, I cannot imagine Red Bull giving a seat to either of them; it would be against their ethics. I don't always agree with them, but to its credit, the Red Bull organisation has constantly brought new blood in F1, through their staircase of talent. Young drivers from F2 have to learn and prove themselves at Toro Rosso and face the verdict after 1 or 2 years. They get the sack like Vergne, Speed, Bourdais, Hartley, or get promoted to Red Bull like Vettel, Ricciardo, Verstappen or Gasly were. So, I cannot see Alonso or Button drive for Red Bull.
