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I agree, there’s no curse on the second seat. If you’re good enough, it’s an incredible opportunity to prove your worth in a top-three car - albeit in a supporting role. No one is expecting the #2 driver to take points away from Max, but if Red Bull wants to take the fight to Mercedes and Ferrari for either title, Verstappen needs a wing-man capable of taking points from Hamilton, Bottas, Leclerc and Vettel. Next season, they’ll have an ambitious Ferrari-mounted Sainz - with a point to prove - to contend with.
Gasly wasn’t good enough and Alexander Albon - who has the weakest CV of any Red Bull/Torro Rosso/Alpha Tauri driver - probably wouldn’t even be in F1 if he hadn’t switched to Thai nationality (son of ex-BTCC racer Nigel, he was born and raised in the UK and thanks to mum had much of his racing career funded by British tax payers!).
Red Bull needs to forget Marko’s failing Junior Team ladder and remember its radical roots. Time to recruit some real talent from elsewhere. Hire Perez or Vettel? Make Norris an offer he can’t refuse? Or look further afield to Formula E and beyond? There are plenty of drivers out there with the skills to get the job done.
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