Max Verstappen is about to race in his 200th Grand Prix this weekend in the Netherlands. He joins a select group of drivers who have reached this milestone, and throughout his career, he has often proven to be the strongest among his teammates.
In 2015, Verstappen and Sainz both started their Formula 1 careers with Toro Rosso. While Sainz gave Verstappen some competition, it wasn’t enough over a full season. Verstappen scored 49 points compared to Sainz’s 18 and led in qualifying 13-10 over 23 races.
After five races in 2016, Verstappen moved up to Red Bull Racing, replacing Daniil Kvyat. Sainz then switched to Renault in mid-2017 before moving on to McLaren.
Verstappen’s Teammates Over the Years:
Once at Red Bull, Verstappen faced Daniel Ricciardo, who had previously beaten Sebastian Vettel. Despite Ricciardo’s experience and initial edge, Verstappen quickly matured and outperformed him. They were teammates for 58 races, with Verstappen leading the qualifying battle 33-25 by the end. Ricciardo left for Renault after a tough 2018 season.
Their relationship was mostly good but had its moments of tension. In Hungary 2017, Verstappen collided with Ricciardo, causing a DNF for the Australian. “If he does not apologize for this, we will have big problems,” Ricciardo said angrily afterward. They also clashed during the Azerbaijan GP in 2018.
Pierre Gasly replaced Ricciardo but struggled against Verstappen. In their 12 races together at Red Bull, Gasly was outperformed significantly, with an 11-1 result in both qualifying and race battles. Gasly was demoted mid-season.
Alexander Albon took Gasly’s place but also found it hard to match Verstappen’s pace. Albon managed some points through daring overtakes but never truly challenged Verstappen. Their time as teammates lasted for 26 races; Albon only secured one podium finish and lost the qualifying battle 25-1 before being replaced after the 2020 season.
Sergio Perez was brought in next with hopes he could get closer to Verstappen’s level. While Perez occasionally succeeded and played a crucial role in holding up Lewis Hamilton during the final race of 2021, he too has struggled to keep up overall. By now, Perez has raced alongside Verstappen for 80 races and is set to continue until at least the end of 2026.
Fans might think it’s impressive how consistently dominant Verstappen has been against all his teammates.
The numbers are clear: Perez trails behind with a score of 69-11 in qualifying and similarly in race results. Throughout his career so far, Verstappen has shown he can outshine any teammate thrown his way .
What do you think about Max’s journey? Let us know!
