The Most Controversial Driver Swap in F1

[@BDSFormula1]

That wasn't a driver swap, it was a life swap

[@emilekaram6094]

TRUE

[@seabass5580]

Literally just a character recast😂😭😭

[@dominik6439]

I mean a few years later Max also got Kvyat's girlfriend, so....

[@plasticwalnut7650]

Wife Swap.

[@dudeimdudely]

It’s a package deal with that red bull seat

[@SlacktivistWeeb]

You can really feel how much that win feels to Max’s engineer.

[@lisetteradsma9052]

He was reliving it while talking about it.

[@herstory4768]

Where can I watch it?!

[@ThisMarv]

@@herstory4768 12:46

[@harmkuijpers6642]

That win meant a lot to Dutch F1 fans as well. It did to me, at least. To have been watching F1 for as long as I have (since 1997, when I was 12) and to see many Dutch drivers come and go, none of them very successful, to finally see a countryman win a race in your favourite sport, was very special and only eclipsed by his first title win. I know exactly where I was at that moment and thinking back at it, still makes me emotional. It was the same for Dutch F1 commentator Olav Mol, who had been commenting for a very long time and audibly had a lump in his throat when Max came through the final corner.

[@Holy_Randomness]

Max not only took his seat but also his girlfriend and daughter. Now that's savage on so many levels.

[@josiahboatengmyrie]

Sure he took his gf but you can never take someone’s child unless kvyat isn’t allowed to see her which I very much doubt max will never take her away from him

[@Holy_Randomness]

@@josiahboatengmyrie Both Kelly and Penelope (Her daughter) are currently staying with Max Verstappen and seem happy, atleast from a public perspective. However, I don't know the legalities involved with guardianship.

[@dmurphy1578]

Max took the guys life and then supersized it.

[@albonooo]

@@Holy_Randomnessher??

[@albonooo]

@@Holy_Randomnessoh kelly. i thought you were talking about max

[@DabDabGoose]

When people say Kyvat beat Ricciardo in 2015 it's points only, in performance Ricciardo was another level, he retired several times while in a podium place out of his control and outqualified him comfortably as well, there is a reason he wasn't the one to go.

[@ralphe5842]

Any one could tell Ricciardo was a better driver even without data the team gets and it was a couple of points anyway

[@dmytrothecat8317]

same thing when people say Max smashed Daniel in 2018, Daniel had twice as many retirements as Max did, and multiple problems during FPs and qualis which undermined his race day performance

[@no1washerezz]

@@dmytrothecat8317pretty sure daniel retired from like 8 races which is 1/3 of the season. that was pretty dreadful from RB

[@sennescholten7278]

​@@no1washerezz It was most of the time the power unit. Red Bull had problems with placing the Renault power unit in their chassis. That is what triggered the swap with Honda because there was more information about the power unit for Red Bull to use.

[@no1washerezz]

@@sennescholten7278 context at the time is also very important. honda was so devastated after the mclaren partnership fell to pieces and was just about to leave f1 with easily the worst reputation out of any engine supplier so daniel keeping this in mind, probably felt that RB was heading for a very fast nose dive in performance and would take several seasons to rebuild into a championship contending team. obviously in hindsight, it happened much quicker.

[@guybunchofnumbers123]

Regarding the end: When can we just accept that a second driver never lasts forever, Perez will have had 3 years (Bottas had 5) and been fine. The 2nd seat curse is overblown and only became a thing because people thought 'rookies' could keep up with MAX off all people

[@kingdodongo4126]

good take

[@piuthemagicman]

excellent point of view. fresh, as if people usually tend to shout copypaste arguments & opinions. now if this one was copypasted I'd be quite embarrassed yet true to myself. good night y'all from the Finnish nightless night

[@sulphurous2656]

After Max, somehow people had the expectation that every single rookie would need to be immediately on it like Max was. Discounting the fact that Max was basically groomed for the singular purpose of driving fast from when he was a toddler. And now people are starting to use this kind of training program as a template for future drivers. It makes sense on one hand, but also a bit disturbing on the other. At what point do we get to a moment where if you're not driving cars whilst you're in diapers, you might as well not even bother racing because you're just too late? Look at drivers such as Latifi for example and the effect of them having started out as late as they did have.

[@suckieduckie]

@@sulphurous2656 This makes me think of StarWars where Anakin was supposedly too old at 9 years old eventhough he was comfirmed to have epic potential.

[@no1washerezz]

@@sulphurous2656well, we have seem drivers like kimi with very little racing experience but tremendous talent. still had a fairly nice career

[@KayJblue]

The way kvyat lost his seat has always been disappointing considering his talent. But at the same time it was a great move. Glad to see him in WEC for 2024.

[@vinniespam]

OOF, so max to go to WEC in 2025 to take his seat?

[@mauryeetss3561]

⁠@@dmytrothecat8317That’s a dangerous mindset. Givin off shades of Hitler. You should never generalize about a population or people, especially in a derogatory way. That’s similar to saying we should isolate all black people in America because they account for a way high percentage of the crime. It’s bonkers. Kvyat is just a guy who loves car racing living out his dream. To say he should be killed or isolated because of the blood in his veins is pretty disgusting

[@MohammedAli-pr7hw]

Why bring politics into sport? The Russian people have done nothing . Is he actively promoting the war? Is he sending troops into Ukraine? Does the action of one man mean everyone else should suffer?

[@dmytrothecat8317]

​@@mauryeetss3561 I said what I said. Kvyat himself might not be a bad guy, but if he was in F1 now he would have been a valuable asset for russia, as any sportsman / businessman / public person, just to show to the rest of the world that russians are not a threat, but they are. No wonder they have been using sport as a political tool since Soviet times. I could have, but I won't tell you why they are a threat, because you'll never understand what Ukrainians feel every day and you'll never get the mindset of russians.

[@MyDemon32]

​@@dmytrothecat8317if we gonna play that game, i hope no ukrainian would set foot on F1 ever. Getting really tired of your divisive whining.

[@shameeraswartz133]

Kyvat is definitely talented but Max, gosh damn, he's a generational talent. We don't see drivers like Max all the time. Getting Max into F1 was the best decision RB has made since Seb & Danny Ric.

[@nicovanos]

Riccardo was not happy after the race in Spain, but later admitted that it was considered the fasted strategy and his tires were more gone than Verstappen's. He would not have been able to make it till the end.

[@Mandykiss4500]

I think the fact that Seb was also put on Daniel’s Strategy, that both Ferrari& Red Bull thought the 3 Stop was better, turned out Max & Kimi’s was

[@slaps101]

Track position was key back then and Spain is a hard place to overtake. I’m Danny would’ve been able to hold of Max he got screwed by the strategy.

[@holdenwang2074]

you didnt't watch the race? Ricciardo couldn't even make the 3-stop strategy work. He had a puncture due to using too much of his tyre in the 3rd stint@@slaps101

[@wimboformula]

What i like about Red Bull, and this is easily forgotten by the people that don't like Red Bull, is that they give opportunities. With their sister team in place a second chance is handed to them as well. Sainz, Gasly, Albon and Riccardo all benefitted from those opportunities and second chances. I doubt they'd be where they are now if they were a Renault, Ferrari or Mercedes junior. Kyviat started performing worse at Toro Rosso whereas he should've taken the shot to prove them wrong like Gasly did. The fact that young drivers are not thrown into the red bull team anymore has a lot to with how a drivers performance is perceived by not just RB but the media and fans too. That's why a veteran like Perez is in that seat, but reading the articles on his bad qualifying, the media is getting ready for another sacking, to them tut at red bull for being harsh. Great video, I love the interview bits.

[@downydutch3203]

This indeed. The bitching from people on RedBull is just stupid.6 out of the current 20 drivers in F1 got there first seat in F1 because of Redbull. To compare it, Ferrari has only 1 of those drivers on the grid currently (Leclerc). Merc has 2 (Ocon, Russel). Both had to stall those drivers at other teams just like RedBull does with there second team, so not having a second team is no excuse. Alpine has lost a potential talent because they coudn't give him a seat. The only three teams that actually bring lots of talent to F1 seems to be Williams, McLaren and RedBull. I bet drivers like Schwarzman wish they where a RedBull jr. instead of a Ferrari jr.

[@wimboformula]

@@downydutch3203 Drugovitch too! Let's see how Mercedes junior Vesti will fare, how soon he'll get an opportunity. In the meantime Iwasa and Lawson are preparing to get into F1.

[@n.b.5258]

@@wimboformula Lawson should already be in F1. I think Marko made a mistake with DeVries, and should have just put Lawson in that seat.

[@wimboformula]

@@n.b.5258 I'm not sure if he has his super licence yet.

[@n.b.5258]

@@wimboformula He does; he finished 2nd in DTM in 2021 and 3rd in F2 last year.

[@elChirrinChirriondelDiablo]

Considering if Red Bull didn’t promote Max to the senior team he would be free agent at the end of the year and Nico retiring it could have been a real chance to have Lewis and Max in Mercedes.

[@mamavswild]

That thought is just terrifying 🔥 And we thought Nico and Lewis was an acrimonious relationship….

[@zordiark9673]

That would have ended in a lot of Debris when i look back at 2021

[@MarcoDantes]

That would have ended lewis career.

[@Thomanski]

​@@zordiark9673The entire season would've been completely different if they were teammates

[@ey1615]

@@MarcoDantes Absolutely.

[@loiteringrambler1268]

i honestly believe that whatever vettel said to horner after he came back to the pit lane had an influence on their decision

[@Mandykiss4500]

Seb’s opinion at the time still held huge sway within Red Bull even though he was at Ferrari…

[@zordiark9673]

@@Mandykiss4500 Horner and Marko hold Seb in high regards for the rest of his Career. That was shown before Sebs last race on Sky Germany when they gave Interviews with Seb. They were pretty sad about his downfall after 2018.

[@georgevanzonderen6491]

Kvyat did not had the skills to earn that cat that year, Vestappen was the coming guy with loads of talent so the swap was totally understandable. The win in the race by Verstappen came as a unexpected bonus but Kvyat would be changed as a driver any way so why not at that moment with the crashes he made in previous races. Max ending up with his girlfriend and daugther did not hurt for him but they where seperated anyway.

[@JohnKuhles1966]

@@georgevanzonderen6491 well said and I agree 100%

Holy crap, imagine Max and Lewis on that Mercedes after Rosberg retired. Nice insights mate, great video

[@OumuamuaOumuamua]

It would have made Mercedes dominance some of the greatest years of formula 1 because their rivalry would be great

[@mohibzafar4585]

Lewis wouldn’t have 7 championships then 😂. would have retired soon after😅.

[@Parker--]

_"Max, this is James."_ _"No."_

[@eddieredmann3]

That would've made Alonso and Hamilton look like best of friends, I imagine. lol

[@EntropicExergy]

Nah, he did the better, more impressive thing, he did a Schumacher at RB. If it wasn't for Max, they wouldn't have switched from Renault to Honda and they would still be nowhere near winning anything. Max said it was Renault out or he would be gone and the rest is history. Max earnt those wins and championships the hard way, far more impressive than going to merc and just cruising on that cheat of an engine that was developed with insider knowledge, like Hamilton did.

[@vadimkozlyuk4433]

When you see a generational talent like max. You do everything. Period. Full stop. The the fact that he wipes the floor with everyone is not his problem.

[@lifebytama]

When Max's engineer told the story how they migh've (and they did) have a shot to win this, damn that gave me shivers and goosebumps

[@Utopian_Futures]

I bet 90% of people would choose Leclerc over Sainz despite Sainz having more points now and has beaten Leclerc in 2021. So just more points of course doesn’t mean to be the better driver. Sometimes the answer is hidden under surface. Ricciardos raw pace was always better than Kvyat's that’s fact. The only questionable thing is the time. RedBull obviously had no chance of winning any title, so they could have waited till the end of the season. But nowadays we all know how RedBull runs 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@valerierodger]

Sainz has better racecraft, but not the same speed. LeClerc has more speed, but lacks the racecraft to maximize that potential.

[@Rhyz-1]

They still had Max's exit clause

[@Rhyz-1]

​@@valerierodgerLeclerc also makes more mistakes when on the limit even when his limit is faster. Sainz needs work with his engineer. His engineer has him constantly in the way of other cars and receiving unnecesary penalty's. Especially during qualification not warning him a car is on a fast run.

[@KunalTapadar]

Your comment aged well. Now Lewis is in for Sainz and Leclerc got a long term contract.

[@sdf1000]

Aged well

[@Voldnarok]

Max is special and a rare finding... They did the right call at the time!

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

They should've dropped Ricciardo instead

[@zwei670]

@@redbullsauberpetronasRicciardo was able to bring in more wins and podiums for redbull after Kvyat was dropped tho

[@Parker--]

The most controversial driver swap in F1 until the very first race afterwards when the controversy was over.

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

It should've been Ricciardo that got dropped

[@valerierodger]

@@redbullsauberpetronasKvyatt was never as quick as Ricciardo - that was very clear if you watched the performances instead of just judged by the statistics, which don’t tell the whole story

[@Rob2]

Here in the Netherlands, the swap wasn't controversial... the opinion amongst all reporters and pundits was "give this guy a fast car, and he will win races". So when they gave him a fast car, and he won in his first race, everyone was convinced he would win many more. Of course the next race in Monaco (which was hinted as the next win) things did not go well and he crashed several times.

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

It should've been Ricciardo that was dropped

[@ericvandruten]

Anything related to Red Bull Racing, fact or fiction, is controversial to Bri'ish media. So tedious...

[@ashlinday4469]

@@ericvandruten more like anything not related to how England is amazing and no other countries should be allowed to win races, is controversial

[@ernestogasulla7763]

It only is to British pundits who still haven't gotten over 2021.

[@UIracing]

Everyone questioned this move but Mighty Verstappen proved everyone Wrong

[@JustSomeDinosaurPerson]

Yeah, Max didn't prove anyone wrong because no one said Max was bad. Everyone was criticizing the decision on the account of ethics and fairness to Kvyat. Albeit, his torpedo antics were not really that amusing at the time Edit: Also Ricciardo's "beating" of Vettel is so overrated lmao

[@asian_sammy2022]

Simply lovely

[@SilentGrig]

@@gameofender4463 He didn't though. He had a terrible start to 2016. Look at the quali and race results. Ricciardo had a sizable gap in all the quali sessions. And Kyvat only finished ahead in China because of Ricciardo's puncture. Plus Kyvat avoided a slam dunk penalty on the race start because Vettel took avoiding action.

[@AnimaDweller]

​@@JustSomeDinosaurPersonRicciardo beating Vettel seems a bit suspicious if you think about it too. Seb had a bad year at redbull and then mysteriously became the Seb we all knew once he was at Ferrari. A rumour is that Seb didn't really try that hard at 1014 because he wanted to go to Ferrari anyway. Would explain why he seems to not really care that ricciardo beat him that year.

[@suckieduckie]

@@SilentGrig I don't think the China move was all that bad, he had a better run and Vettel didn't want to slow down.

Seb's radios in 2016 were something else. I love it

[@ChefofWar33]

Back when he had the confidence of a 4 time world champ. Which he lost on Germany 2018, and never found again.

[@Rob2]

What are we doing, racing or ping-pong??

[@emilekaram6094]

It was a battle against Alonso's superb team radios.

[@emilekaram6094]

​@@Rob2This one vs: GP2, GP2 engine, aarrrrgghhhhhh!!

[@mamavswild]

‘Honestly!!’ 😂

[@grahamreece519]

I hate when people say Verstappen "took" Kvyat's ex-wife, as if she was an object incapable of making her own decisions.

[@Mandykiss4500]

NEVER MARRIED!

[@grahamreece519]

@@Mandykiss4500 Jesus, calm down

[@VitalMusic217]

You don't know shit about life then.

[@r__b6095]

Yeah but he definitely took her lol

[@DgeminisM]

She was seduced for him 😂😂😂😂

[@AugmentedGravity]

Blake was emotional then and became emotional now. I could see and hear that. Amazing dude

[@Jrh-rp7np]

Ok I keep seeing max took his girlfriend and his kid,,, first off DK dumped her and they didn’t start dating for like a year after ..Kelly and Max probably had a lot in common both coming from racing families and all , and Max didn’t take his daughter,Kyvat will always be her father no matter what… Kvyat should be happy his ex isn’t running through a bunch of dudes while his daughter sleeps in the next room,,, the girl seems to have a very stable home life and Max seems to enjoy being with them at least from what little Ive seen from the million mile outside view …I mean Max could be out slaying va jay jay all over the world right now… Instead he chose to be a step father to a little girl…

[@misbahmahad2154]

This 👏🏻

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

I like how you combined the most level headed and mature take with the phrase “va jay jay.”

[@rebecaruiz6399]

He isn’t her stepfather either since he and Kelly aren’t married.

[@selder_7]

Damn that’s the most emotional I’ve seen Blake. Really gives a sense of just how momentous that win was

[@sgtpepperboi6851]

Danny Ric's bad luck in 2015 is what allowed Dany to beat him in the points. By all other metrics Ric was better, so it wasn't like 2014 when Danny flat out beat Seb.

[@steffighter144]

Seb was not really on his peak on 2014

[@joostprins3381]

Btw, Kyviat was already separated before he lost his seat to Max, and Max did have a relation with someone else.

[@miguelfelizardo9457]

This reminded me of a story not talked enough. Kvyat wasn't supposed to be the toro rosso driver for 2014, António Felix da Costa was supposed to be driving for toro rosso, in an interview he said fraz tost called him and he went to faenzam there was already a suit with his name and they were going to make a seat for him. Then they just replaced him Kvyat.

[@rbrinks5]

I’m glad you talked about how Kvyat wasn’t a bad driver at all. Clearly not at MVs level but worthy of a seat in F1

[@emanuelecaselli677]

I really wanted you to put Alonso's reaction to the driver swaps

[@RadityaPramanaPutra2001]

Yeah. His reaction to this case is priceless.

[@Rob2]

@@RadityaPramanaPutra2001 They changed the drivers??? (to Lewis): Did you know?

[@RadityaPramanaPutra2001]

@@Rob2 Daniil Kvyat: 👋😅

[@shameeraswartz133]

RB isn't the only team to have done these insane driver swaps & drops, just the most recent. F1 is brutal, its sad that thats how the sport works. I doubt it will ever change. As harsh as it was, it was one of the best decisions they ever made.

[@mauryeetss3561]

Obviously taking max was the right decision, but I still feel for Kvyat. Dude was driving well and deserved a longer time in Fprmula One. This seat swap was the beginning of the end for kvyats career

[@kushagraN]

14:08 - "RB is not about nurturing drivers". Sadly this is the only team to own a junior team in f1😞

[@shelbystaples6721]

Another great video! As a newer f1 fan I missed out on a lot of the history of drivers swaps that Red Bull has done. It’s fascinating to learn more about how often it occurs, particularly for Red Bull. Max was a gamble to have, but he’s proven that he was worth it. I hope Danny can succeed this upcoming weekend!

[@proinseas_]

"Controversially in many people's eyes" 🤣 We see what you did

[@martinjones2169]

When ever I see a new video from you I know its worth while watch! Thank you for the great F1 content Aldas

[@Aldas001]

This ones been a long time in the making so I hope you enjoy it

[@didimatjila7463]

​@@Aldas001another reason why kvyat beat ricciardo in 2015 is due to reliability issues

[@rickleplubo5554]

Daniel "the torpedo" kvyat. the guy was a crash happy liability

[@ELcinegatto87]

That's just a meme. Kvyat was actually a pretty good driver.

[@theversatile8151]

Spain 2016 honestly should've been Ricciardo's race if it wasn't for strategy... who pits to overtake in Barcelona???

[@Mandykiss4500]

Seb was on the Same Strategy, both teams got it wrong…

[@destructionnl8165]

Absolutely right about the statement that 2016 was going to be Kvyat's last season with RedBull anyway. In an interview on Dutch TV Verstappen said that he had a contract to drive with STR for 2015 and 2016. Hadn't he replaced Kvyat in 2016 he would have in 2017 as per contract.

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

They should've dropped Ricciardo

[@destructionnl8165]

@@redbullsauberpetronas Why? Ricciardo was performing better than Kvyat was.

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

@@destructionnl8165 wrong

[@destructionnl8165]

@@redbullsauberpetronas i'm not in the wrong here.

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

@@destructionnl8165 cope

[@thesfdoctor3603]

Another thing people don't think about is the fact that Vergne (Ricciardo's 2013 and Kvyat's 2014 teammate) was way faster than Kvyat and was on par with Ricciardo, but he got immediately sacked at the end of 2014 without reason, just so Red Bull could have some space for Max and Sainz. I don't think Vergne could've had that many wins, but you have to think that maybe things could've ended differently if he got the position at Red Bull instead of getting sacked

[@DarthJF]

Red Bull's approach has resulted in them giving up so many great drivers that it's hard to count them all. Sainz, Ricciardo (though he's coming back), Albon, Gasly just on the current grid.

[@Holy_Randomness]

I'm sure they don't mind as long as they're winning. The same approach has also paid dividends in the form of Max Verstappen.

[@hunter_t18]

While I agree in part, some of this is also revisionist history. We now know the driver Sainz is but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that would have thought he was this good when he was at Renault on loan from RB. Gasly had a great 2020 season and a pretty good 2021 season which make us think he’s awesome, but what has he done since the regulation change at either AT or Alpine? Not saying he’s bad but he’s also not a complete stud either. Albon is probably the one I most agree with you on when it comes to talent that they let walk. However i don’t think anyone would argue that he would have done a better job (considering what the job required) than Sergio did in the 2021 title fight.

[@mamavswild]

You’re revising history. Gasly was underperforming at the senior seat and he was kept and he was GROWN as a driver at AT until HE found a new seat elsewhere. Albon was KEPT after not improving in the second seat and he continued to work for RB as a third driver and developer. RBR also helped him get his Williams seat. Kvyat was moved from the senior seat after underperforming and kept by RB for YEARS until his OWN lackluster performance meant he couldn’t find a seat elsewhere on the grid. Sainz stayed at AT/Torro Rosso but just was never moved up to the senior team bc they had Ricciardo. Sainz left on his own when he got a seat at McLaren Ricciardo left on his own, chasing the money train. Revisionist history.

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

Imagine naming Gasly with people like Sainz, Riccardo or even Albon for that matter

[@Alsael]

When you have Max Verstappen it doesn't matter how many drivers you lose, because you got the best one anyway. It's only about finding a teammate for him, and that's not a real priority if verstappen can carry the team on his own for you

[@_Kaspar012]

Some say Seb had something to do with that driver swap 😳

[@p0werfu11]

Sad story for Kvyat to be remembered for this driver swap but his career in F1 afterwards was longer than you might expect.

[@nitaZera]

To me after Max took his second P4 finish of the 2015 season in Austin, that was when Red Bull decided "one of them has to go". And the rest, as we know, is history

[@johnkochen7264]

The one factor in this story I missed is the money. Yes, Verstappen is earning a fortune now but so are Red Bull. They get a bigger chunk of the box office, tv rights and more lucrative sponsor contracts. Max maxed out their credit cards.

[@Crotes1990]

You could tell Blake was emotional telling that first win story. That's something really special.

[@TheGamerzXChannel]

that torpedo move was still, a torpedo move... dude went out in the exit of the corner like cars on the left do not exist in the same space & time.

[@timhahn7358]

Looking back they absolutely made the right call in bringing max up to not lose him, however the daniel vs daniil debate would be an interesting deep dive for alternate f1 history. What if 2017 and 2018 was max and daniil

[@RadityaPramanaPutra2001]

Red Bull in 2017-2018 would be stuck in 3rd place standings if was Max and Daniil.

[@MrPhilbautista]

Don't forget that Dani Ricciardo and Seb Vettel were also Red Bull drivers that levelled up from Toro Rosso. In fact, Seb was so impressive that he actually won a GP with Toro Rosso and, upon joining Red Bull, won 4 Driver's Titles. The reason they haven't had any success recently is because Max made Gasly and Albon look so bad Red Bull gave up on them. The reason they aren't giving up on Perez is because he's an outsider who brings a lot to the table in terms of money the team can use to pay for development costs.

[@doohanlim1225]

6:50 came back to finish the job 😂 Much love from Malaysia. You've earned a subscriber.

[@FlatMetal22]

In China the problem was he went 3 wide then left the apex and pushed Seb into Kimi because he carried too much speed into the corner. If you want to go up the inside 3 wide you hug the apex or you cause a collision, he was lucky to get away damage free

[@dmytrothecat8317]

If Max DNFed at that race media reactions and Max confidence and everything else would be different. He just shut everyone's mouths with that win on Red Bull debut

[@ISirSmoke]

I don't think it's controversial at all, Kvyat the torpedo deserved the boot and Max was a clear prodigy

[@miggygetright6344]

Aldas has been cooking recently, love these videos much more than the speculative ones

[@harisosmic4096]

when you are experienced like Helmut, you can recognize a talented driver very quickly. If I were in Helmut's place and I had Verstappen offered to drive, I would take him without thinking, despite some more experienced and bigger drivers. Max is monster like Great White Shark

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

Helmut can't recognize talent to save his life, anyone could tell max was generational

[@valerierodger]

If Helmut could recognize a talented driver very quickly, the Red Bull Academy wouldn’t have so many failures. The only reason they have so many success stories is because when you sponsor so many drivers, you are going to end up with a few good ones

[@Michallote]

If Helmut was at alpine they wouldnt have lost Piastri

[@Michallote]

​@valerierodger that is nonesense. You cant test a driver without giving him machinery to push. If RB is a failure why does half the grid came through their ranks?? They have by far the best programme. The driver factor is something they cant control either you are up to the task or not. They will give you the opportunity, and will boot you as well. They are the best team rn too. Any criticism doesn't change that fact, never will.

[@lekkerdraven1977]

Hello Aldas, you have an extremely sharp eye and always an surprising approach on Formula 1! Like the Prost video, you shed another light on the driver and other topics. GREETINGS FROM Holland. Nico from LEKKER DRAVEN😊 Thank you!!!

[@joaotaveira5895]

Kvyiat shouldn’t be there in the first place, in 2014 when he first got promoted to toro rosso he literally stole his seat from António Félix da Costa, so I guess redbull had the upper hand on him. There was a performance difference to justify sacking kvyiat in 2016, his form was horrendous.

[@KingofWolvesii]

I think the issue is that they need to have quick, young hungry drivers with a similar style to verstappen to excel.... trouble is ( with the FIA superlicense system) it blocks people getting to F1 as you cannot jump series.

[@lisetteradsma9052]

The reason they got that rule change was Verstappen. They are not only hampering young ultra talented drivers, but also the indy car drivers to enter F1.

[@KingofWolvesii]

@@lisetteradsma9052 Agreed. the bar should be lesser and people should get in due to achievements

[@Palmboom313]

It really wasn't about the so called bad performance from Kvyatt. It's about Red Bull wanting there best drivers in the best car.

[@Lanse1984]

Kvyatt is not in F1 for a reason.

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

Then why did they keep Ricciardo?

[@LuisHenrique-fc6mb]

​@@redbullsauberpetronas now you know the reason why...

[@MonkStarling]

6:40 Damn that looks like it was 100% Kvyat's fault. Wasn't active watching F1 at the moment, but yeah

[@valerierodger]

Sure, but the same can be said of a lot of crashes by a lot of drivers, even drivers like Max or Lewis who you would never even consider sacking for such a crash

[@GregBrownsWorldORacing]

That Spanish GP for Americans was on NBC Sports network, little did we know how historic that race was called. For us we consider it as one of our last races BCE - Before Crofty Era - we didn't know what we didn't know. Many fans base seasons on DTS, not us, it's BCE and AD = Asinine Discrimination.

[@KoenBlank]

In a group of Verstappen fans from the F3 time our whatsapp group absolutely exploded on this news it went from rumors nobody believed to the switch in so many frequent messages I had to turn of the sound of my phone. Even in this group we felt sorry for Kvyat. The win in Spain was the next insane event…

[@anotherseoulnative8781]

Well hear me out… that’s red bulls strategy… if everyone is right that cutting drivers is wrong then the results will speak for themselves, they’ll be chasing clouds and never have success But… we are all people behind computers spewing our take that dont have any stake in this team. It’s red bulls team to run as they please, the other teams can do what they please, it’s annoying seeing everyone say what’s right or wrong when 99.9% haven’t even been next to a f1 car much less in it. Get as mad as you like and drop as many hot takes as you like, you’re not anywhere near making decisions for them so people who keep getting emotionally invested in max Daniel and nyck should chill they hell out. You’re all getting your blood pressure up for nothing. It’s not your team and if the decision is wrong the results will show it. Simple as You don’t like them, easy solution, cheer for another team but no one in the Red Bull camp really cares what a random dudes on his computer say. ~ sincerely a mclaren fan who’s tired of people bitching about Red Bull and max in every f1 conversation instead of enjoying this beautiful sport

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Very true! Well said.

[@elChirrinChirriondelDiablo]

You (I say “you” in general, not directly to the op) may not like how they operate but they brought at least 2 outstanding drivers, Seb and Max and beyond that they gave opportunities to a lot of drivers, some of them still on the grid, if they didn’t perform at the level Red Bull expect, well… it is what is.

[@Ramtinss]

Saying Kvyat beat Ricciardo in 2015 is like saying Ocon beat Alosno in 2022. Kvyat was only a replacement driver in the first place, The potential just wasn't there.

[@Imikeh]

Honestly it seems like a super villain story in the making for Kvyat. Verstappen took his seat, his ex-wife, his daughter (at least on surface level, I don't follow their personal lives all that much).

[@Mandykiss4500]

Lol, Kvyat was NOT Married & he Broke with Her! Also Kelly & Max didn’t start dating to almost 1 year later…

[@lukedavis2717]

Already know it’s gonna be another banger

[@thedoomslayer4167]

Kvyat was a good driver but had the bad fortunate of being in the way of Max. His mental state and self confidence got destroyed and we never truly got to see him at his full potential

[@KoSXxPotatisbarnetXD]

Terrible move. This Verstappen guy won’t be able to handle the pressure.

[@joepho123]

😂😂

[@sCito9]

I mean... they knew they were swapping kvyat after the year, so if he doesnt deliver might as well do it earlier...Its the correct decision to me

[@rohannaval1621]

There was an even more controversial WAG swap....you'll never guess between who.

[@NotTheRambo]

Elaborate

[@nitaZera]

@@NotTheRambo probably referring to Michael Schumacher - Corinna Schumacher - Heinz-Harald Frentzen case. Before she met Michael, Corinna used to be Heinz-Harald's girlfriend. Also, H-H and Michael were a part of Mercedes junior team, and they drove for Sauber-Mercedes in World Sportscar Championship in 1990

[@renedekkers-gm8nj]

Max is like Ronaldo + Messi + Mbappe together in football. A class of his own.

[@viniciusmagnoni6492]

What about the Girlfriend and Daughter Swap?

[@hishamhilal8332]

Controversial? The guy won on debut. Consistently challenged the then dominant Mercedes, won 2 championships and that still doesn't do his talent justice. It was a justified move every way you look at it.

[@keonxd8918]

Controversial at that moment, not 7 years later. You wouldn't have known how Max was going to perform in 2016 during the swap and before the race, people saw it as controversial

[@mariahadar]

12:18 Max has now a 100 000$ fine for touch Kimi's rear wing 😂😂

[@inspiredglue2056]

I do NOT like Max much, but it's crazy for anyone to say that Spain 2016 was anything but a masterclass (really his whole career has been). Truly worthy of being in the GOAT debate, he's such a complete driver he seems almost too good.

[@suckieduckie]

Curious why you don't like him. I mean I have the same attitude for guys like Lewis and Esteban who people generally seem to like, but still curious.

[@inspiredglue2056]

@@suckieduckie I'm a big Hamilton fan so 1: I can admit im a bit sour over 2021. I also just feel like he isn't the most likable over the radio and stuff and the incident with Ocon at Brazil as well. Still tho he's the best in the world right now undeniably alongside Alonso, Hamilton

[@rosek7114]

@@inspiredglue2056 Max's radio's often aren't very different than the radio's of any frustrated driver (Yuki anyone?) and the Ocon incident is pretty understandable from Max's side... And is also 5 years ago...

[@valerierodger]

The only reason why I don’t think he’s a complete driver and “almost too good” is that he really does not adapt well to understeer the way that, for example, Alonso and Norris can.

[@suckieduckie]

@@valerierodger Fair point, however I do feel it's a bit of a muted point because every interview I've watched with engineers they basically all say that an oversteery car is simply faster if driven well. I don't think he would be able to pull off what Alonso did in that understeery Renault, but I do think he's the quickest out of all of them with a car that has a sharp front end.

[@SilverScarletSpider]

hope that the live show does not punch down on drivers like nyck de vries. hope that the live show highlights LH’s constant whining

[@ernestogasulla7763]

Umm... should we keep a madman who thinks bomb diving is the best overtaking strategy, or an amazing young guy who beat the record for younger driver ever to make it to F1? Such a tough call... 🤣🤣🤣

[@Hansen915]

max stole his seat, his gf, and his kid. damn gotta feel for the guy.

[@bored_grape]

Red Bull Racing has a sink or swim approach, which I don't see as anything wrong... That's what made them so successful. And how many driver academy have given so many drivers a race seat?

[@Roguescienceguy]

I loved Daniil, but he did lose his moyo towards the end of his last stint at TR. It was time to leave and keep some credit for other racingseries where he does very well

[@einssechssieben]

It always felt to me that the torpedo-incident killed his F1 career. :(

[@michaelfierman3256]

Seeing Blake’s reaction was moving and priceless

[@Moray2023]

The funny thing is Max and Kvyat were both promoted to Red Bull way to early. Kvyat had less races in Toro Rosso, beat Riccardo in their only season, but he got destroyed mentally after he got dropped, as would happen to any 24 year old. Max came in too early, was way to aggressive and that was shown when he had an awful start to the season in 2018. Vergne should of really been in that car so Red Bull could of had a proper Toro Rosso show down between Kvyat and Verstappen across 2015/2016.

[@platypinetwork]

Red Bull screwed up a lot of drivers In the beginning it was weird The non vettel Sebastian, buemi And Bourdain DJ Jaime Vergne became anorexic to try to get faster Kvyat

[@yudhabagaskara98]

Max sacrificed kvyat's career and life in order to survive in F1

[@Evarakeus]

What Red Bull decisions have actually gone wrong, though? De Vries, sure, but they didn't have anyone else to put in that seat as they didn't want to replace Gasly with a rookie. Gasly's signing with RB was forced by Ricciardo's exit, while replacing him with Albon was objectively the correct move based on performance, and again replacing Albon with Perez was the correct move for the same reasons. Beyond that, there's a bunch of rookies that didn't work out, but that's most rookies in motorsport

[@platypinetwork]

I mean tauri could've bought Kubicas contract from Sauber

[@BruceWayne-nr3nl]

They believed in him and he delivered and currently dominating the sport. What a love story eh RBR and Max.

[@EnjoyTheSilenc3]

Crazy to think Max could’ve been driving for Mercedes or Ferrari

[@toweliethetowel8280]

Nobody misses the Torpedo.

[@hubertuseugenius]

It was a very good move to upgrade Max at that time. Now were waiting till Mercedes downgrade Lewis.

[@alanluscombe8a553]

Kvyat did not do a thing wrong passing in china. Anyone would have and should have tried to take advantage of the space opening in front of them

[@ralphe5842]

The torpedo was a dud and everyone knew it and no one picked him up

[@Ryzard]

6:45 Holy sheesh, I knew about "the torpedo" but I didnt realize it was evwr that direct

[@UltimaSigmarAlonso]

Kvyat was a victim of circumstance

[@michaelmasi9821]

Took his car, his girlfriend, and daughter.

[@rosek7114]

Except that Daniil left his wife on his own...

[@darkraig7378]

Skill issue tbh

[@ju1cyjon3s31]

the real question was, whether replacing kyvat or ricciardo

[@weslittlereptilefamily3418]

Damn man. I would totally fly to london from the states if i could afford it to see yalls show.

[@IshoGT]

The thought of Max becoming a free agent and joining Mercedes after Nico retired...

[@pieterrossouw8596]

Ballsy call from RBR but damn did it every go right for them.

[@g2lium]

This was honestly a really well made video, thanks you this

[@stevenrussellhaime6626]

kvyat was torpedo Max looked like a world champion from his debut race

[@AnimaDweller]

Ricciardo "beating" Vettel was something that pushed his career above Kvyat's quite a bit. However, I do think there are arguments to think that's more of a fluke. Vettel didn't seem to care on 2014, a lot of people actually aegue that Vettel drove poorly and without care that year as he wanted to go to Ferrari anyway. Not saying Ricciardo didnt had an amazing season at 2014, but I do think the whole "He beat Vettel on his first season" is not a fair argument when you consider just how suspicious it was that Seb suddenly recovered his form at 2015 in an infierior Ferrari.

[@zariqeezham9210]

I agree a bit but Seb was more frustrated with the new regs in 2014 i remembered Ron Dennis criticizing Seb when Seb labelled 2014 engine as "shit"