Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has been keeping tabs on what’s happening in Formula 1 this season despite no longer sitting on the pit wall every weekend.
Instead, he’s working in the media and will be a prominent figure at the Miami Grand Prix as one of the circuit’s new ambassadors.
Guenther Steiner was writing in his column on Formula 1’s official website ahead of the sixth race of the season.
There are plenty of fascinating battles happening up and down the grid right now.
Ten drivers enter each race hoping one of the top five teams will run into trouble so that they can compete for the final point.
So far, Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg are leading that group of drivers with Lance Stroll constantly dragged into that dogfight.
Fireworks are expected between Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz after their battle intensified in China.
However, there are several partnerships where the gulf between the two drivers makes it very hard to see close-quarters action taking place on track.
Guenther Steiner was full of praise for both Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Unfortunately for the Mexican, he’s suggested that Verstappen is simply on ‘another planet’ this season.
Despite four podium finishes this year, he’s heard the Dutch national anthem on every occasion so far.
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Guenther Steiner says Max Verstappen is on ‘another planet’ compared to Sergio Perez
It was exactly a year ago when Sergio Perez’s 2023 campaign started to fall apart.
After winning two of the first five races, F1 fans finally thought they were about to witness Verstappen seriously challenged by a teammate.
Perez looked in fantastic shape in Miami, taking pole position while his Dutch teammate started ninth.
However, Verstappen took his performance up several notches and comfortably won the race, making light work of Perez.
The 34-year-old’s season began to fall apart and Christian Horner was particularly worried about his performances in qualifying as he regularly missed out on Q3.
There has been an uptick in Perez’s performances this season although the team are wary of offering him a new contract at this stage.
Steiner has complimented Perez but can’t see him getting anywhere near Verstappen.
The 26-year-old is almost certainly on his way to winning a fourth straight championship.
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Max Verstappen on another level to everyone else on the grid
Talking about the pair, Steiner said: “Red Bull and Max Verstappen are obviously doing a fantastic job right now. They are dominating.
“I really respect Sergio Perez, he’s a very good driver – but he can’t get near Max right now. Max is on a different planet. He is already one of the greatest ever in his era like Lewis Hamilton was a few years ago.
“When you’re on a wave like this, you have the confidence, you’re happy with life and nothing goes wrong. But all good things come to an end. It won’t last forever – just look at Lewis right now.”
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Sergio Perez is fighting for his future at Red Bull and Helmut Marko recently shared his current contract demands.
He’s having to fend off interest in Carlos Sainz who will be a free agent at the end of the year and is having the best season of his F1 career.
Christian Horner was spotted having a conversation with Sainz’s father in Shanghai which may not bode well for Perez.
Perez and Verstappen should finish first and second in the Drivers’ Championship this year but the Mexican will want to close the gap to his teammate that Steiner and the rest of the paddock can clearly see.
Otherwise, with the threat of Ferrari looming, Red Bull might turn to Sainz to try and further strengthen their line-up.
The post ‘Can’t get near’: Guenther Steiner says 26-y/o F1 star is on ‘another planet’ compared to his teammate in 2024 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.