Sky Sports’ Croft lauds Verstappen, questions Red Bull's choice of teammates

15:04, 28 May

byKada Sarkozi

While Max Verstappen has not been fond of British media over the past seasons, he received high praise from Sky Sports' David Croft. According to the commentator, the Dutchman is the 'form driver' of the current F1 grid.

At the Monaco GP, where the RB21's issues were put on display, Max Verstappen finished in fourth position. Meanwhile, after getting eliminated already in Q2 the day before, Yuki Tsunoda finished outside of the points.

According to Croft, Tsunoda is not at the level Red Bull need their second driver to be. "They're not going to sign Lando Norris or George Russell or Carlos Sainz or drivers of that calibre. And with all due respect to Yuki, who I know is now the most experienced Japanese driver in Formula One history, he's not a Lando Norris. He's a good driver, but he's not a race winning driver yet. One day I hope he is," he said in the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

'Tough to be a just a couple of tenths behind Tsunoda'

According to the British commentator, the Austrians will likely put youngsters alongside the Dutchman, like Arvid Lindblad or Isack Hadjar, until they find the right person. But because of Verstappen's qualities, it is not an easy task, he explained.

"Max is exceptional. Max is a phenomenal talent, and Max will extract way more performance out of any car, I think at the moment than the most drivers on the grid. He's the form driver on the grid. And to say that he's got to get within two or three tenths of Max is a tall order, a tough order. But Red Bull are a championship winning team and therefore it's not an unrealistic ask for that second driver in the Red Bull car," he praised the four-time world champion.

Therefore, he believes Red Bull Racing should have signed Carlos Sainz, or aim to bring in a driver of that calibre.

"I personally think they've got the wrong driver still, and they should have gone if they want to win a constructors’ championship, go and get a driver that is good enough. And Yuki might well be in time. I don't think he's proved it."

George Russell could also be someone the team should think about. "It would be an interesting combo and give us plenty to talk about. I don't think there's any animosity between George and Max. They're just fiercely competitive human beings that have not always seen eye to eye on the track at any given moment," he explained.

Since he joined Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda has scored seven points, while Verstappen is still in third place behind the two McLaren drivers, already winning on two occasions.