Verstappen could be on the heels of Mercedes in Renault or AlphaTauri says Palmer

In the constant speculation about the fate of Alexander Albon at Red Bull Racing and Formula 1 as a whole, the lack of speed of the Thai is the main issue. Jolyon Palmer asks himself how good Max Verstappen really is.

Albon is now being hit hard for his lack of speed in relation to his teammate. The expectation is that he will be replaced by Sergio Perez or Nico Hulkenberg. However, Palmer does think that Red Bull should make a good assessment of this is actually an improvement.

Does Red Bull have a better car than midfield?

In order to make a decision about that, one has to look at the speed of Verstappen. After all, he could conceal an enormous lack of speed on the RB16. "Verstappen is phenomenally quick," Palmer says in his column for the BBC. "In the entire field, I'd say potentially only Lewis Hamilton and possibly Ferrari 's Charles Leclerc could be a match for him over one lap."

"If Red Bull believe that Albon is at a similar level to the other midfielders in terms of driving, and that he has the same machinery as Verstappen, you have to wonder if the Dutchman could still be nibbling at the heels of the Mercedes were he driving a Racing Point, a Renault, McLaren or even an Alpha Tauri. It seems implausible, but there is no concrete answer."