Fittipaldi expects challenging Verstappen: "You can't just switch it off"

Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing have not had a great start to the season. In three races, Verstappen managed to win once, but this was also the only time he reached the finish line. Emerson Fittipaldi believes that Red Bull is the team that will challenge Ferrari.

Despite the fact that Verstappen and Red Bull got off to a rough start in 2022, Fittipaldi notes that they did manage to show their level of performance. In Bahrain, Verstappen continuously drove close behind Charles Leclerc and in Saudi Arabia he even managed to win. In Australia, Leclerc was significantly stronger, but the Dutchman managed to drive without any problems on P2 until he crashed out.

Verstappen must challenge Ferrari

Fittipaldi therefore thinks that Red Bull is going to be the team that challenges Ferrari for the rest of this year. "They are the team to challenge Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. No doubt about that," says the former world champion in conversation with VegasInsider.

According to the Brazilian, the engine of the Red Bull should work well, in which case Verstappen will be able to challenge the Italian team. "He will be a challenge. Always. You can't just switch it off," Fittipaldi said of the reigning world champion.

Red Bull currently on P3

As a result of Verstappen's two retirements and a failure by Sergio Perez, Red Bull is currently in third position among the constructors. The Austrians are ten points behind Mercedes, which unlike Red Bull seems to have its reliability in order.